JP2008505174A - Optimized Fc variant - Google Patents

Abstract

  The present invention relates to optimized Fc variants, methods for their production, Fc polypeptides comprising optimized Fc variants, and methods of using optimized Fc variants.

Description

  This application is filed on USSN 60 / 568,440 filed May 5, 2004; 60 / 589,906 filed July 20, 2004; 60 / 627,026 filed November 9, 2004. 60 / 626,991 filed on November 10, 2004; 60 / 627,774 filed on November 12, 2004; 60 / 531,752 filed on December 22, 2003; and 60 / 531,891 filed on 22 December 2003 claim a benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 (e); and USSN 10 / filed on 24 March 2004 It is a continuation-in-part application of 822,231; it is a continuation-in-part of 10 / 672,280 filed on September 26, 2003; 379,3 A second continuation-, all of which is incorporated herein its entirety by reference.

The present invention relates to new optimized Fc variants, engineering methods for their generation, and their application, particularly for therapeutic purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Antibodies are immune proteins that bind to specific antigens. In most mammals, including humans and mice, antibodies are constructed from a pair of heavy and light chain polypeptide chains. Each chain is made up of individual immunoglobulin (Ig) domains, so the generic term immunoglobulin is used for such proteins. Each chain consists of two distinct regions, called the variable and constant regions. The light and heavy chain variable regions show considerable sequence diversity between antibodies and are responsible for target antigen binding. The constant region is responsible for the binding of a number of natural proteins that exhibit poor sequence diversity and trigger important biochemical events. In humans, there are five different classes of antibodies, including IgA (including subclass IgA1 and IgA2), IgD, IgE, IgG (including subclass IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4), and IgM. A striking feature that distinguishes between these antibody classes is their constant region, while subtle differences may exist in the variable region. FIG. 1 shows an IgG1 antibody that is used herein as an example to illustrate the general structural features of immunoglobulins. An IgG antibody is a tetrameric protein composed of two heavy chains and two light chains. IgG heavy chains are N-terminal to C-terminal V _H -C _H 1 -C _H 2 -C _H 3 (variable heavy chain domain, constant heavy chain domain 1, constant heavy chain domain 2 and constant heavy chain domain 3 respectively). It is composed of four immunoglobulin domains linked in the order of IgG C _H 1, C _H 2 and C _H 3 domains are also referred to as constant gamma 1 domain (Cγ1), constant gamma 2 domain (Cγ2) and constant gamma 3 domain (Cγ3), respectively. An IgG light chain is composed of two immunoglobulin domains linked in order of V _L -C _L (each representing a light chain variable domain and a light chain constant domain) from the N-terminus to the C-terminus.

The variable region of an antibody contains the antigen-binding determinants of this molecule and thus determines the specificity of the antibody for its target antigen. Variable regions are named this way because they are most different in sequence from other antibodies in the same class. The majority of sequence variability occurs in the complementarity determining regions (CDRs). There are a total of 6 CDRs, 3 for the heavy and light chains, and are referred to as V _H CDR1, V _H CDR2, V _H CDR3, V _L CDR1, V _L CDR2, and V _L CDR3. The variable region outside the CDRs is called the framework (FR) region. Although not as diverse as CDRs, sequence variability occurs in the FR region between different antibodies. Overall, this characteristic structural pattern of antibodies provides a stable backbone (FR region) on which substantial antigen-binding diversity (CDR) is probed by the immune system, providing specificity for a wide range of antigen groups. Can be earned. Numerous high resolution structures are available for various variable region fragments from various organisms. Some are unbound, others are complexed with antigen. The sequence and structural features of the variable region of the antibody have been well characterized (Morea et al., 1997, Biophys Chem 68: 9-16; Morea et al., 2000, Methods 20: 267-279, source Conserved features of antibodies, expressly incorporated herein by reference, have allowed for the development of a wealth of antibody engineering techniques (Maynard et al., 2000, Annu Rev Biomed Eng 2: 339-376, It is a part of this specification with reference to the source). For example, a CDR from one antibody, such as a mouse antibody, can be transplanted into the framework region of another antibody, such as a human antibody. This process, referred to in the art as “humanization,” allows for the production of less immunogenic antibody therapeutics from non-human antibodies. Variable fragment fragment containing the variable region, including can exist in the absence of other regions of the antibody, _e.g., an antigen-binding fragment comprising the V H -Shiganma1 and _V H -C _L (Fab), the _{V H} and _{V L} (Fv), single chain variable fragments (scFv) comprising V _H and V _L linked together in the same chain, as well as a variety of other variable region fragments (Little et al., 2000, Immunol Today 21: 364-370, which is incorporated herein by reference).

  The Fc region of an antibody interacts with numerous Fc receptors and ligands and conveys a group of important functional abilities called effector functions. For IgG, the Fc region contains Ig domains Cγ2 and Cγ3 and an N-terminal hinge leading to Cγ2, as shown in FIG. An important Fc receptor family for the IgG class is the Fc gamma receptor (FcγR). These receptors mediate communication between antibodies and cellular weapons of the immune system (Raghavan et al., 1996, Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 12: 181-220; Ravetch et al., 2001, Annu Rev Immunol 19: 275-290). In humans, this protein family includes isoforms FcγRIa, FcγRIb and FcγRIc (CD64); isoforms FcγRIIa (including allotypes H131 and R131), FcγRIIb (including FcγRIIb-1 and FcγRIIb-2) and FcγRIIc. And FcγRIII (CD16) including isoforms FcγRIIIa (including allotypes V158 and F158) and FcγRIIIb (including allotypes FcγRIIIb-NA1 and FcγRIIIb-NA2) (Jefferis et al., 2002, Immunol Lett 82: 57-65, hereby incorporated by reference). These receptors typically have an extracellular domain that mediates binding to Fc, a transmembrane region, and an intracellular domain that can mediate intracellular signaling events. These receptors include monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, eosinophils, mast cells, platelets, B cells, large granular lymphocytes, Langerhans cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and γδ T cells. It is expressed in a variety of immune cells including. The formation of the Fc / FcγR complex recruits these effector cells to the site of the bound antigen, typically intracellular signaling events and subsequent important immune responses such as the release of inflammatory mediators, B cells Leads to activation, endocytosis, phagocytosis and cytotoxic attack. The ability to mediate cytotoxic and phagocytosis effector functions is a potential mechanism by which antibodies destroy target cells. The cell-mediated reaction in which non-specific cytotoxic cells expressing FcγR recognize bound antibody on the target cell and subsequently cause lysis of the target cell is called antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) (Raghavan et al., 1996, Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 12: 181-220; Ghetie et al., 2000, Annu Rev Immunol 18: 739-766; Ravetch et al., 2001, Annu Rev Immunol 19: 275-290 And is hereby incorporated by reference). A cell-mediated reaction in which non-specific cytotoxic cells expressing FcγR recognize bound antibody on the target cell and subsequently cause phagocytosis of the target cell is an antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis (ADCP) Called. Numerous human FcγR extracellular domain structures have been elucidated. This includes FcγRIIa (pdb accession code 1H9V) (Sondermann et al., 2001, J Mol Biol 309: 737-749) (pdb accession code 1FCG) (Maxwell et al., 1999, Nat Struct Biol 6: 437-442). ), FcγRIIb (pdb accession code 2FCB) (Sondermann et al., 1999, Embo J 18: 1095-1103); and FcγRIIIb (pdb accession code 1E4J) (Sondermann et al., 2000, Nature 406: 267-273, source). Which is expressly incorporated as part of this specification). All FcγRs bind to the same region on Fc with the N-terminus of the Cγ2 domain and a preceding hinge (shown in FIG. 2). This interaction has been well-structured (Sondermann et al., 2001, J Mol Biol 309: 737-749, hereby incorporated by reference) and binds to the extracellular domain of human FcγRIIIb Several structures of human Fc (pdb accession codes 1E4K) (Sondermann et al., 2000, Nature 406: 267-273) (pdb accession codes 1IIS and 11IX) (Radaev et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276: 16469-16477, hereby incorporated by reference), and the structure of the human IgE Fc / FcεRIα complex (pdb accession code 1F6A) (Garman et al., 2000, Nature 406: 259-266, citation) , Which is part of this specification).

Different IgG subclasses have different affinities for FcγRs, and IgG1 and IgG3 typically bind to the receptor substantially better than IgG2 and IgG4. All FcγRs bind to the same region of IgG Fc, but with different affinities: FcγRI, which binds with high affinity, has a Kd10 ⁻⁸ M ⁻¹ to IgG1, whereas the low affinity receptor FcγRII and FcγRIII generally bind at 10 ⁻⁶ and 10 ⁻⁵ , respectively. The extracellular domains of FcγRIIIa and FcγRIIIb are 96% identical, but FcγRIIIb has no intracellular signaling domain. In addition, FcγRI, FcγRIIa / c and FcγRIIIa are positive regulators of activation caused by immune complexes and are characterized by having an intracellular domain with an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM), FcγRIIb has an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif (ITIM) and is therefore inhibitory. Hence, the former is called an activating receptor and FcγRIIb is called an inhibitory receptor. These receptors also differ in expression patterns and levels in various immune cells. Yet another level of complexity is the presence of numerous FcγR polymorphisms in the human proteome. A particularly clinically relevant related polymorphism is V158 / F158 FcγRIIIa. Human IgG1 binds with higher affinity to the V158 allotype than to the F158 allotype. This difference in affinity, and possibly its effect on ADCC and / or ADCP, has been shown to be a critical determinant of the efficacy of the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (Rituxan®, a ^{registered trademark} of IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation) . V158 allotype patients respond favorably to rituximab treatment; however, low-affinity F158 allotype patients respond poorly (Cartron et al., 2002, Blood 99: 754-758, published by reference). Part of the description). About 10-20% of humans are V158 / V158 homozygous, 45% are V158 / F158 heterozygous, and 35-45% of humans are F158 / F158 homozygous (Lehrnbecher et al., 1999, Blood 94: 4220-4232; Cartron et al., 2002, Blood 99: 754-758, hereby incorporated by reference). Thus, 80-90% of humans are poor responders, ie they have at least one F158 FcγRIIIa allele.

  The overlapping but distinct site on Fc shown in FIG. 1 serves as an interface to complement protein C1q. In the same way that Fc / FcγR binding mediates ADCC, Fc / C1q binding mediates complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC). C1q forms a complex with serine proteases C1r and C1s to form a C1 complex. C1q is capable of binding 6 antibodies, but binding to 2 IgGs is sufficient to activate the complement cascade. Similar to the interaction of Fc with FcγRs, different IgG subclasses have different affinities for C1q, and IgG1 and IgG3 are typically substantially better than FcγRs than IgG2 and IgG4. Join. There is no currently available structure for the Fc / C1q complex; however, mutagenesis studies have mapped the binding site of C1q on human IgG to a region containing residues D270, K322, K326, P329 and P331 and E333. (Idusogie et al., 2000, J Immunol 164: 4178-4184; Idusogie et al., 2001, J Immunol 166: 2571-2575, hereby incorporated by reference).

  The site between the Cγ2 and Cγ3 domains on Fc shown in FIG. 1 mediates the interaction with the neonatal receptor FcRn, and its binding recycles the endocytosed antibody from the endosome into the bloodstream. (Raghavan et al., 1996, Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 12: 181-220; Ghetie et al., 2000, Annu Rev Immunol 18: 739-766, hereby incorporated by reference). This process, coupled with the exclusion of renal filtration due to the large size of the full-length molecule, results in a favorable antibody serum half-life ranging from 1 to 3 weeks. The binding of Fc to FcRn also plays a key role in antibody transport. The FcRn binding site on Fc is also the site to which bacterial proteins A and G bind. The tight binding by these proteins is exploited as a means of antibody purification, typically using protein A or protein G affinity chromatography during protein purification. Thus, fidelity of this region on Fc is important for both the clinical properties of antibodies and their purification. Rat Fc / FcRn complex (Martin et al., 2001, Mol Cell 7: 867-877, incorporated herein by reference) and Fc complex with proteins A and G (Deisenhofer, 1981, Biochemistry 20: 2361-2370; Sauer-Eriksson et al., 1995, Structure 3: 265-278; Tashiro et al., 1995, Curr Opin Struct Biol 5: 471-481, which is incorporated herein by reference. Available structure provides insight into the interaction of Fc with these proteins.

  A key feature of the Fc region is the conserved N-linked glycosylation that occurs at N297, as shown in FIG. These carbohydrates or oligosaccharides (sometimes referred to as such) play a critical structural and functional role for antibodies and are the primary reason why antibodies must be produced using mammalian expression systems. One. Without wishing to be limited to one theory, the structural purpose of this carbohydrate is to determine the level of Fc stabilization or solubilization, the specific angle or flexibility between the Cγ3 and Cγ2 domains, two Cγ2 It is believed that the domains can be left unaggregated beyond the central axis, or a combination thereof. Efficient binding of Fc to FcγR and C1q requires this modification, and changing or removing the carbohydrate composition of N297 affects binding to these proteins (Umana et al., 1999, Nat Biotechnol 17: 176-180; Davies et al., 2001, Biotechnol Bioeng 74: 288-294; Mimura et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276: 45539-45547 .; Radaev et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276 : 16478-16483; Shields et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276: 6591-6604; Shields et al., 2002, J Biol Chem 277: 26733-26740; Simmons et al., 2002, J Immunol Methods 263: 133 -147, which is incorporated herein by reference). This carbohydrate makes very little if any specific contact with FcγRs (Radaev et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276: 16469-16477, which is incorporated herein by reference). This indicates that the functional role of the N297 carbohydrate in mediating Fc / FcγR binding may be through the structural role it plays in determining Fc conformation. This is supported by collecting crystal structures of four different Fc glycoforms that show that the oligosaccharide composition affects Cγ2 conformation and, consequently, the Fc / FcγR contacts ( Krapp et al., 2003, J Mol Biol 325: 979-989, hereby incorporated by reference).

  The antibody characteristics discussed above—specificity for the target, ability to mediate immune effector mechanisms, and long half-life in serum—make the antibody a potent therapeutic agent. Monoclonal antibodies are used therapeutically for the treatment of a variety of conditions including cancer, inflammation and cardiovascular disease. There are currently over 10 antibody products on the market, and hundreds are under development. In addition to antibodies, antibody-like proteins that have found an expanding role in research and therapy are Fc fusions (Chamow et al., 1996, Trends Biotechnol 14: 52-60; Ashkenazi et al., 1997, Curr Opin Immunol 9: 195-200, incorporated herein by reference). An Fc fusion is a protein in which one or more polypeptides are operably linked to Fc. Fc fusions combine the Fc region of an antibody, and thus its favorable effector function and pharmacokinetics, with the target binding region of a receptor, ligand or other protein or protein domain. The latter role is to mediate target recognition and therefore it is functionally similar to antibody variable regions. Since Fc fusions overlap in structure and function with antibodies, discussion of antibodies in the present invention extends directly to Fc fusions.

There are a number of possible mechanisms by which antibodies destroy tumor cells, including anti-proliferation through blocking the necessary growth pathways, intracellular signaling leading to apoptosis, receptor down-regulation and / or enhanced turnover, CDC, ADCC, Includes the promotion of ADCP and adaptive immune responses (Cragg et al., 1999, Curr Opin Immunol 11: 541-547; Glennie et al., 2000, Immunol Today 21: 403-410, incorporated herein by reference) Part). Anti-tumor efficacy may be due to a combination of these mechanisms, and their relative importance in clinical therapy appears to be cancer dependent. Despite being an anti-tumor weapon arsenal, the strength of antibodies as anticancer agents is unsatisfactory, especially considering their high costs. Patient tumor response data indicates that monoclonal antibodies provide only a small improvement in treatment success over conventional single agent cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents. For example, just half of all patients with low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma respond to the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (McLaughlin et al., 1998, J Clin Oncol 16: 2825-2833, hereby incorporated by reference). Part). Of the 166 clinical patients, 6% showed a complete response, 42% showed a partial response, and the median response duration was approximately 12 months. Trastuzumab (Herceptin®, a registered trademark of Genentech ⁾ , an anti-HER2 / neu antibody for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, is less potent. The overall response rate is only 15% using trastuzumab in 222 patients, with 8 responding completely and 26 partially responding, with a median response duration and survival of 9-13 months (Cobleigh et al., 1999, J Clin Oncol 17: 2639-2648, incorporated herein by reference). Currently, for anti-cancer therapy, any small improvement in mortality is defined as successful. Thus, there is a significant need for enhancement of the ability of antibodies to destroy target cancer cells.

  The role of FcγR-mediated effector function in the anticancer activity of antibodies has been demonstrated in mice (Clynes et al., 1998, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95: 652-656; Clynes et al., 2000, Nat Med 6 : 443-446, incorporated herein by reference), the affinity of interaction between Fc and certain FcγRs correlates with target cytotoxicity in cell-based assays ( Shields et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276: 6591-6604; Presta et al., 2002, Biochem Soc Trans 30: 487-490; Shields et al., 2002, J Biol Chem 277: 26733-26740, source explicit As a part of this specification). Furthermore, a correlation was observed between clinical efficacy in humans and their high (V158) or low (F158) affinity polymorphic allotypes of FcγRIIIa (Cartron et al., 2002, Blood 99: 754-758 And is hereby incorporated by reference).

  Fc mutagenesis studies have been carried out towards various goals. Substitutions were typically made to alanine (referred to as an alanine scan) or guided by sequence homology substitutions (Duncan et al., 1988, Nature 332: 563-564; Lund et al., 1991, J Immunol 147: 2657-2662; Lund et al., 1992, Mol Immunol 29: 53-59; Jefferis et al., 1995, Immunol Lett 44: 111-117; Lund et al., 1995, Faseb J 9: 115- 119; Jefferis et al., 1996, Immunol Lett 54: 101-104; Lund et al., 1996, J Immunol 157: 4963-4969; Armor et al., 1999, Eur J Immunol 29: 2613-2624; Shields et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276: 6591-6604) (US 5,624,821; US 5,885,573; PCT WO 00/42072; PCT WO 99/58572). All of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The majority of substitutions reduce or eliminate binding to FcγRs. However, some success has been achieved in obtaining Fc variants with higher FcγR affinity (see, eg, US Pat. No. 5,624,821 and PCT WO00 / 42072). For example, Winter and co-workers replaced the amino acid at human position 235 with that of the mouse IgG2b antibody (mutation from glutamate to leucine), which increased the binding of the mouse antibody to human FcγRI by a factor of 100. (Duncan et al., 1988, Nature 332: 563-564) (US 5,624,821). Shields et al. Used alanine scanning mutagenesis to map Fc residues important for FcγR binding, followed by substitution of selected residues with non-alanine mutations (Shields et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276: 6591). -6604; Presta et al., 2002, Biochem Soc Trans 30: 487-490) (PCT WO00 / 42072). These are incorporated herein by reference.

  Enhanced affinity of Fc for FcγR was also achieved using engineered glycoforms generated by expressing antibodies in engineered or mutant cell lines (Umana et al. , 1999, Nat Biotechnol 17: 176-180; Davies et al., 2001, Biotechnol Bioeng 74: 288-294; Shields et al., 2002, J Biol Chem 277: 26733-26740; Shinkawa et al., 2003, J Biol Chem 278: 3466-3473, hereby incorporated by reference). This approach resulted in an enhanced ability of the antibody to bind to FcγRIIIa and mediate ADCC.

  Another major disadvantage of antibodies is their stringent manufacturing requirements (Garber, 2001, Nat Biotechnol 19: 184-185; Dove, 2002, Nat Biotechnol 20: 777-779, hereby incorporated by reference). Part). Antibodies must be expressed in mammalian cells, and currently marketed antibodies use up virtually all available manufacturing capacity, along with other demanding biotherapeutic agents. Since hundreds of biologics are under development, most of which are antibodies, there is an urgent need for more efficient and cheap manufacturing methods. The downstream impact of insufficient antibody production capacity is tripled. First, it dramatically increases the cost of goods for the manufacturer, which is passed to the patient. Second, it hinders the industrial manufacture of approved antibody products and limits the availability of high demand therapeutic agents to patients. Finally, because clinical trials require large amounts of protein that are not yet profitable, insufficient supply hinders progress to the growing antibody pipeline market.

  Alternative manufacturing methods have been explored in an attempt to eliminate this problem. Genetically modified plants and animals are being pursued as a potentially inexpensive and highly manufacturable production system (Chadd et al., 2001, Curr Opin Biotechnol 12: 188-194, incorporated herein by reference). And). However, such expression systems can produce glycosylation patterns that are significantly different from human glycoproteins. This can result in a reduction or even loss of effector function. This is because, as discussed above, carbohydrate structure can significantly affect FcγR and complement binding. A larger problem that can occur with non-human glycoforms can be immunogenic; carbohydrates are a key source of antigenicity for the immune system, and the presence of non-human glycoforms makes its therapeutic agent moderate. It has a significant opportunity to elicit antibodies that reconcile and, if worse, causes a harmful immune response. Thus, the efficacy and safety of antibodies produced by genetically modified plants and animals remain uncertain. Bacterial expression is another attractive solution to the antibody production problem. Expression in bacteria such as E. coli provides a cost-effective and highly productive protein production method. Complex proteins such as antibodies have a number of obstacles to bacterial expression, including folding, association of these complex molecules, proper disulfide formation, and bacterially expressed proteins are not glycosylated. So solubility, stability and functionality in the absence of glycosylation are included. Full-length non-glycosylated antibodies that bind to antigens have been successfully expressed in E. coli (Simmons et al., 2002, J Immunol Methods 263: 133-147, which is hereby incorporated by reference) and thus Without the eukaryotic chaperone mechanism, folding, association and proper disulfide formation of antibody expressed in bacteria is possible. However, the ultimate use of bacterially expressed antibodies as therapeutic agents results in a lack of effector function and remains hampered by the lack of glycosylation that can lead to poor stability and solubility. This may be even more problematic for long-term high-concentration formulations required for clinical use.

  In short, there is a need for antibodies with enhanced therapeutic properties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides Fc variants that are optimized for a number of treatment related properties. These Fc variants are generally contained in variant proteins, preferably including antibodies or Fc fusion proteins.

  The object of the present invention is to provide new Fc positions where amino acid modifications can be made for the generation of optimized Fc variants. The Fc positions include 230, 240, 244, 245, 247, 262, 263, 266, 273, 275, 299, 302, 313, 323, 325, 328 and 332. Here, the numbering of the residues in the Fc region is that of the EU index as in Kabat. The present invention relates to any amino acid modification at any of the novel Fc positions to generate an optimized Fc variant.

A further object of the present invention is to provide Fc variants characterized in the present invention. In certain embodiments, the Fc variant comprises at least one amino acid substitution at a position selected from the group consisting of: 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 227, 228, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 249, 255, 258, 260, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271,272, 273,274,275,276,278,280,281,282,283,284,285,286,288,290,291,292,293,294,295,296,297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 313, 317 318,320,322,323,324,325,326,327,328,329,330,331,332,333,334,335,336 and 337. Here, the residue numbering in the Fc region is that of the EU index as in Kabat. In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variant comprises at least one substitution selected from the group consisting of: D221K, D221Y, K222E, K222Y, T223E, T223K, H224E, H224Y, T225E, T225K, T225W, P227E, P227G, P227K, P227Y, P228E, P228G, P228K, P228Y, P230A, P230E, P230G, P230Y, A231E, A231G, A231K, A231P, A231Y, P232E, P232G, P232E, E232E33E, E232E33E, E232E33E E233I, E233K, E233L, E233M, E233N, E233Q, E233R, E233S, E233T, E233V, E23 W, E233Y, L234A, L234D, L234E, L234F, L234G, L234H, L234I, L234K, L234M, L234N, L234P, L234Q, L234R, L234S, L234T, L234V, L234L, 235L, 235L, L235L, L235E L235H, L235I, L235K, L235M, L235N, L235P, L235Q, L235R, L235S, L235T, L235V, L235W, L235Y, G236A, G236D, G236E, G236F, G236H, G236H, G236P G236R, G236S, G236T, G236V, G236W, G236Y, 237D, G237E, G237F, G237H, G237I, G237K, G237L, G237M, G237N, G237P, G237Q, G237R, G237S, G237T, G237V, G237W, G237Y, P238D, P238E, P238P, P238E, P238P, P238E, P238P P238M, P238N, P238Q, P238R, P238S, P238T, P238V, P238W, P238Y, S239D, S239E, S239F, S239G, S239H, S239I, S239K, S239L, S239M, S239N, S239M, S239N, S239M, S239N S239Y, V240A, V240I, V240M, V240T, F241 D, F241E, F241L, F241R, F241S, F241W, F241Y, F243E, F243H, F243L, F243Q, F243R, F243W, F243Y, P244H, P245A, K246D, K246E, K246H, K246P, H246P R255E, R255Y, E258H, E258S, E258Y, T260D, T260E, T260H, T260Y, V262A, V262E, V262F, V262I, V262T, V263A, V263I, V263M, V263T, V264A, V264A, V264A, V264A, V264A, V264A, V264E V264K, V264L, V264M, V264N, V264P, V264Q, V 64R, V264S, V264T, V264W, V264Y, D265F, D265G, D265H, D265I, D265K, D265L, D265M, D265N, D265P, D265Q, D265R, D265S, D265T, D265V, D265T, D265V, D265T, D265V, D265T S267D, S267E, S267F, S267H, S267I, S267K, S267L, S267M, S267N, S267P, S267Q, S267R, S267T, S267V, S267W, S267Y, H268D, H268E, H268E, H268E, H268E, H268E, H268E H268Q, H268R, H268T, H268V, H268W, E269 , E269G, E269H, E269I, E269K, E269L, E269M, E269N, E269P, E269R, E269S, E269T, E269V, E269W, E269Y, D270F, D270G, D270H, D270I, D270D, D270D, D270D, D270D , D270W, D270Y, P271A, P271D, P271E, P271F, P271G, P271H, P271I, P271K, P271L, P271M, P271N, P271Q, P271R, P271E, P271T, P271V, P271E, P271V, P271E , E272K, E272L, E272M, E272P, E272R, E2 72S, E272T, E272V, E272W, E272Y, V273I, K274D, K274E, K274F, K274G, K274H, K274I, K274L, K274M, K274N, K274P, K274R, K274T, K274V, K274T, K274V, K274T N276F, N276G, N276H, N276I, N276L, N276M, N276P, N276R, N276S, N276T, N276V, N276W, N276Y, Y278D, Y278E, Y278G, Y278H, Y278I, 78278, Y278L, 78 Y278S, Y278T, Y278V, Y278W, D280G, D280K D280L, D280P, D280W, G281D, G281E, G281K, G281N, G281P, G281Q, G281Y, V282E, V282G, V282K, V282P, V282Y, E283G, E283H, E283K, E283K, E283K, E283P V284N, V284Q, V284T, V284Y, H285D, H285E, H285K, H285Q, H285W, H285Y, N286E, N286G, N286P, N286Y, K288D, K288E, K288Y, K290D, K290L, P290L, P290L P291H, P291I, P291Q, P291T, R292D, R2 2E, R292T, R292Y, E293F, E293G, E293H, E293I, E293L, E293M, E293N, E293P, E293R, E293S, E293T, E293V, E293W, E293Y, E294F, E294G, E294E E294R, E294S, E294T, E294V, E294W, E294Y, Q295D, Q295E, Q295F, Q295G, Q295H, Q295I, Q295M, Q295N, Q295P, Q295R, Q295S, Q295T, 9595, 9695, 96 Y296H, Y296I, Y296K, Y296L, Y296M, Y296N, Y296Q, Y296R, Y296S, Y296T, Y296V, N297D, N297E, N297F, N297G, N297H, N297I, N297K, N297L, N297M, N297P, N297Q, N297R, N297S, N297T, 297S, N297T, S297 S298H, S298I, S298K, S298M, S298N, S298Q, S298R, S298T, S298W, S298Y, T299A, T299D, T299E, T299F, T299G, T299H, T299T, T299K, T299M, T299M, T299M, T299M T299V, T299W, T299Y, Y300A, Y300D, Y30 E, Y300G, Y300H, Y300K, Y300M, Y300N, Y300P, Y300Q, Y300R, Y300S, Y300T, Y300V, Y300W, R301D, R301E, R301H, R301Y, V302I, V303D, V303E, V303Y, S304D, S304H, S304L, S304N S304T, V305E, V305T, V305Y, W313F, K317E, K317Q, E318H, E318L, E318Q, E318R, E318Y, K320D, K320F, K320G, K320H, K320I, K320L, K320N, K320P, K320S, K320T, K320S, K320T K322D, K322F, K322G, K322H, K322I, K322P, 322S, K322T, K322V, K322W, K322Y, V323I, S324D, S324F, S324G, S324H, S324I, S324L, S324M, S324P, S324R, S324T, S324V, S325W, S325Y, 2525, E325N, 2532 N325I, N325K, N325L, N325M, N325P, N325Q, N325R, N325S, N325T, N325V, N325W, N325Y, K326I, K326L, K326P, K326T, A327D, A327E, A327E, A327E, A327E, A327E A327P, A327R, A327S, A327T, A327V, A327 W, A327Y, L328A, L328D, L328E, L328F, L328G, L328H, L328I, L328K, L328M, L328N, L328P, L328Q, L328R, L328S, L328T, L328V, L329P, P329P P329I, P329K, P329L, P329M, P329N, P329Q, P329R, P329S, P329T, P329V, P329W, P329Y, A330E, A330F, A330G, A330H, A330I, A330L, A330M, A330R, 330A, 330A, 330A, 330A, 330A A330W, A330Y, P331D, P331F, P331H, P331I, P 31L, P331M, P331Q, P331R, P331T, P331V, P331W, P331Y, I332A, I332D, I332E, I332F, I332H, I332K, I332L, I332M, I332N, I332P, I332Q, I332R, I332Q, I332R E333F, E333H, E333I, E333L, E333M, E333P, E333T, E333Y, K334F, K334I, K334L, K334P, K334T, T335D, T335F, T335G, T335H, T335I, T335T, T335T, T335T
35V, T335W, T335Y, I336E, I336K, I336Y, S337E, S337H and S337N. Here, the numbering of the residues in the Fc region is that of the EU index as in Kabat. This set of variants is sometimes referred to as the “single variant set” of the present invention.

  Additional aspects of the invention include at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 or more compared to a parent Fc polypeptide, eg, the Fc region of SEQ ID NO: X. To provide Fc variants (and proteins containing these variants) having the amino acid substitutions of: In some embodiments, 1, 2, 3 and 4 substitutions find particular use.

  A further aspect of the invention provides an altered Fc ligand binding compared to a parent Fc polypeptide, eg, the Fc region of SEQ ID NO: X, under conditions of high stringency to a gene encoding a human Fc polypeptide. To provide Fc variants (and proteins containing these variants) encoded by hybridizing nucleic acids. High stringency conditions are known in the art; see, for example, US Pat. No. 6,875,846, specifically incorporated herein by reference for conditions of high stringency. A gene encoding a human Fc polypeptide is usually a fragment of a larger gene, and similarly, due to the degeneracy of the genetic code, it encodes a naturally-occurring Fc polypeptide even if it is not itself naturally produced. It is also known in the art to be a gene.

  An additional aspect of the invention is to provide variant Fc polypeptides that exhibit altered ADCC activity, particularly elevated ADCC activity. In some embodiments, these variants may contain an amino acid substitution at position 239, optionally an amino acid substitution at positions 239 and 332, and optionally any other substitution outlined in the single variants above. And create mutants containing multiple substitutions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide Fc variants characterized in the present invention. Here, the Fc variants are D221K, D221Y, K222E, K222Y, T223E, T223K, H224E, H224Y, T225E, T225K, T225W, P227E, P227G, P227K, P227Y, P228E, P228G, P228P, P228G, P228P / E233D, P230A / E233D / I332E, P230E, P230G, P230Y, A231E, A231G, A231K, A231P, A231Y, P232E, P232G, P232K, P232Y, E233A, E233E, E233E, E233E, E233E, E233E , E233N, E233Q, E233R, E233S, E233T, E233V, E233W, E23 Y, L234A, L234D, L234E, L234F, L234G, L234H, L234I, L234I / L235D, L234K, L234M, L234N, L234P, L234Q, L234R, L234S, L234L, L234L, L234L, L234L, L234L A330Y / I332E, L235D / S239D / N297D / I332E, L235E, L235F, L235G, L235H, L235I, L235K, L235M, L235N, L235P, L235Q, L235R, L235S, L235T, L235S, L235T, L235S, L235T, L235G G236F, G236H, G236I, G236K, G236L, G236M, 236N, G236P, G236Q, G236R, G236R, G236S, G236T, G236V, G236W, G236Y, G237D, G237E, G237F, G237H, G237I, G237K, G237L, G237M, G237N, G237P, G237P, G237P, G237P, G237P G237Y, P238D, P238E, P238F, P238G, P238H, P238I, P238K, P238L, P238M, P238N, P238Q, P238R, P238S, P238T, P238V, P238W, P238Y, S239D, S239D, S239D / S239 / 33 L234I, S239D / A330Y / I332E / V266I, S239 D / D265F / N297D / I332E, S239D / D265H / N297D / I332E, S239D / D265I / N297D / I332E, S239D / D265L / N297D / I332E, S239D / D265T / N297D / 132D / S E272I / A330L / I332E, S239D / E272I / I332E, S239D / E272K / A330L / I332E, S239D / E272K / I332E, S239D / E272S / A330L / I332E, S239D / E332S / I332S / I332S / I332S / I332S / I332S E272Y / I332E, S239D / F241S / F243H / V262T / V 64T / N297D / A330Y / I332E, S239D / H268D, S239D / H268E, S239D / I332D, S239D / I332E, S239D / I332E / A327D, S239D / I332E / A330I, S239D / I332E / S332E / S332E / 3302E / I332E / E272R, S239D / I332E / E283H, S239D / I332E / E283L, S239D / I332E / G236A, S239D / I332E / G236S, S239D / I332E / H268D, S239D / I332E / S R255Y, S239D / I332E / S267E, S239D / I332 / V264I, S239D / I332E / V264I / A330L, S239D / I332E / V264I / S298A, S239D / I332E / V284D, S239D / I332E / V284E, S239D / I332E / V284E, S239N / K239 / / I332E, S239D / K274E / I332E, S239D / K326E / A330L / I332E, S239D / K326E / A330Y / I332E, S239D / K326E / I332E, S239D / K326T / A330Y / I332E / S332 / D3E / I332E, S239D / N297D / I332E, S239D / N2 97D / K326E / I332E, S239D / S267E / A330L / I332E, S239D / S267E / I332E, S239D / S298A / K326E / I332E, S239D / S298A / K326T / I332E, S239D / V240I / S330E / V330I / I332E, S239D / Y278T / A330L / I332E, S239D / Y278T / I332E, S239E, S239E / D265G, S239E / D265N, S239E / D265Q, S239E / I332D, S239E / I332E / S339E / I332E / S332E I332E, S239E / V264I / A330Y / I332E, S239E V264I / I332E, S239E / V264I / S298A / A330Y / I332E, S239F, S239G, S239H, S239I, S239K, S239L, S239M, S239N, S239N / I332D, S239N / I332 / 330 / E S239N / I332N, S239N / I332Q, S239P, S239Q, S239Q / I332D, S239Q / I332E, S239Q / I332N, S239Q / I332Q, S239Q / V264I / I332E, S239R, S239V, V239S, V239S V266I,
V240M, V240T, F241D, F241E, F241E / F243Q / V262T / V264E / I332E, F241E / F243Q / V262T / V264E, F241E / F243R / V262E / V264R / I332E, F241E / F243R V264R / I332E, F241E / F243Y / V262T / V264R, F241L, F241L / F243L / V262I / V264I, F241L / V262I, F241R / F243Q / V262T / V264R / I332E, F241R / 2432, F241R / F324 F241W / F243W / V262A / V264A, F241Y, F24 Y / F243Y / V262T / V264T / N297D / I332E, F241Y / F243Y / V262T / V264T, F243E, F243L, F243L / V262I / V264W, F243L / V264I, F243W, P244H, P244P45P, P244H, P244P45P K246H, K246Y, P247G, P247V, D249H, D249Q, D249Y, R255E, R255Y, E258H, E258S, E258Y, T260D, T260E, T260H, T260Y, V262E, V262F, V263A, V263V, V263A, V263V, V263A, V263V V264E / N297D / I332E, V264F, V264G, V264H, H.264I, V264I / A330L / I332E, V264I / A330Y / I332E, V264I / I332E, V264K, V264L, V264M, V264N, V264P, V264Q, V264R, V264S, V264T, V264W, V264T, V264W, V264E, E264E D265H, D265I, D265K, D265L, D265M, D265N, D265P, D265Q, D265R, D265S, D265T, D265V, D265W, D265Y, D265Y / N297D / I332E, D265Y / 999766 / V266
V266T, S267D, S267E, S267E, S267E / A327D, S267E / P331D, S267E / S324I, S267E / V282G, S267F, S267H, S267I, S267K, S267L, S267L, S267L, S267L, S267L, S267L, S267L, S267L, S267L, S267L, S267L S267R, S267T, S267V, S267W, S267Y, H268D, H268E, H268F, H268G, H268I, H268K, H268L, H268M, H268P, H268Q, H268R, H268T, H268V, H268V, H268V, H268E E269M, E269N, E269P, E269R, E269S, E26 T, E269V, E269W, E269Y, D270F, D270G, D270H, D270I, D270L, D270M, D270P, D270Q, D270R, D270S, D270T, D270W, D270Y, P271A, P271P, P271P, P271P, P271P P271L, P271M, P271N, P271Q, P271R, P271S, P271T, P271V, P271W, P271Y, E272D, E272F, E272G, E272H, E272I, E272K, E272L, E272M, E272P, E272P V273I, K274D, K274E, K274F, K274G, K274H, 274I, K274L, K274M, K274N, K274P, K274R, K274T, K274V, K274W, K274Y, F275L, F275W, N276D, N276E, N276F, N276G, N276H, N276I, N276L, 766, N276L, 762 N276W, N276Y, Y278D, Y278E, Y278G, Y278H, Y278I, Y278K, Y278L, Y278M, Y278N, Y278P, Y278Q, Y278R, Y278S, Y278T, Y278V, Y278W, Y278W, 7878, 28278 D280K, D280L, D280P, D280W, G281D, G281 D / V282G, G281E, G281K, G281N, G281P, G281Q, G281Y, V282E, V282G, V282G / P331D, V282K, V282P, V282Y, E283G, E283H, E283K, E283L, E283P, E283L, E283P E283Y, V284D, V284E, V284L, V284N, V284Q, V284T, V284Y, H285D, H285E, H285K, H285Q, H285W, H285Y, N286E, N286G, N286P, N286Y, K286L, K288E, K288E K290W, P291D, P291E, P291G, P291H, P291I, P 91Q, P291T, R292D, R292E, R292T, R292Y, E293F, E293G, E293H, E293I, E293L, E293M, E293N, E293P, E293R, E293S, E293T, E293V, E293W, E293V, E293W, E293E E294L, E294M, E294P, E294R, E294S, E294T, E294V, E294W, E294Y, Q295D, Q295E, Q295F, Q295G, Q295H, Q295I, Q295M, Q295N, Q295P, Q295P, 9595, Q295P Y296D, Y296E, Y296G, Y296I, Y296K, Y296 Y296M, Y296N, Y296Q, Y296R, Y296S, Y296T, Y296V, N297D, N297D / I332E, N297D / I332E / A330Y, N297D / I332E / S239D / A330L, N297D / I332E / S332E / S332D / I332E / S332D N297D / I332E / T299E, N297D / I332E / T299F, N297D / I332E / T299H, N297D / I332E / T299I, N297D / I332E / T299L, N297D / I332E / T299V, N297E / T299V, N297D / 2962 / I332E / Y296H, N297D / I332E / Y296N, N2 97D / I332E / Y296Q, N297D / I332E / Y296T, N297E / I332E, N297F, N297G, N297H, N297I, N297K, N297L, N297M, N297P, N297Q, N297R, N297S, T2N, N297S, T S298A / I332E,
S298A / K326E, S298A / K326E / K334L, S298A / K334L, S298D, S298E, S298F, S298H, S298I, S298K, S298M, S298N, S298Q, S298R, S298T, T298T, S298T, S298T, T298T, S298T, T299T T299H, T299I, T299K, T299L, T299M, T299N, T299P, T299Q, T299R, T299S, T299V, T299W, T299Y, Y300A, Y300D, Y300E, Y300G, Y300H, Y300K, Y300M, Y300N Y300T, Y300V, Y300W, R301D, R301E, R30 H, R301Y, V302I, V303D, V303E, V303Y, S304D, S304H, S304L, S304N, S304T, V305E, V305T, V305Y, W313F, K317E, K317Q, E318H, E318L, E318Q, E318R, E318Y, K320D, 320K, 320G K320H, K320I, K320L, K320N, K320P, K320S, K320T, K320V, K320W, K320Y, K322D, K322F, K322G, K322H, K322I, K322P, K322S, K322T, K322V, K322W, 322S, 2432 S324H, S324I, S324I / A327D, S324L, S324M, 324P, S324R, S324T, S324V, S324W, S324Y, N325A, N325D, N325E, N325F, N325G, N325H, N325I, N325K, N325L, N325M, N325P, N325Q, N325R, 2525, N325R, 2525 K326L, K326P, K326T, A327D, A327E, A327F, A327H, A327I, A327K, A327L, A327M, A327N, A327P, A327R, A327S, A327T, A327V, A327W, A327W, A327W, A327W, A327W, A327W, A327W I332E, L328F, L328G, L328H, L328H / I332 E, L328I, L328I / I332E, L328I / I332E, L328K, L328M, L328M / I332E, L328N, L328N / I332E, L328P, L328Q, L328Q / I332E, L328Q / I328L, T328L, T328L, T328L, T328L L328V / I332E, L328W, L328Y, P329D, P329E, P329F, P329G, P329H, P329I, P329K, P329L, P329M, P329N, P329Q, P329R, P329S, P329T, P329T, P329T, P329T, P329T, P329T, P329T, P329T A330I, A330L, A330L / I332E, A330M, A330N, A 30P, A330R, A330S, A330T, A330V, A330W, A330Y, A330Y / I332E, P331D, P331F, P331H, P331I, P331L, P331M, P331Q, P331R, P331T,
P331V, P331W, P331Y, I332A, I332D, I332E, I332E / G281D, I332E / H268D, I332E / H268E, I332E / S239D / S298A, I332E / S239N / S298A, I332E / V342 / H342E I332K, I332L, I332M, I332N, I332P, I332Q, I332R, I332S, I332T, I332V, I332W, I332Y, E333F, E333H, E333I, E333L, E333M, E333P, E333P, E333P, E333P, E333P, E333P, E333P T335F, T335G, T335H, T335I, T335L, T33 M, T335N, T335P, T335R, T335S, T335V, T335W, T335Y, I336E, I336K, I336Y, S337E, S337H and S337N, where the numbering of the residues in the Fc region is in Kabat Of the street EU index.

  It is a further object of the present invention to provide Fc variants that bind with high affinity to one or more FcγRs. In certain embodiments, the Fc variant has an affinity for FcγR that is greater than 1-fold that of the parent Fc polypeptide. In another embodiment, the Fc variant has an affinity for FcγR that is greater than 5-fold that of the parent Fc polypeptide. In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variant has an affinity for FcγR that is about 5- to 300-fold greater than the parent Fc polypeptide.

  A further object of the present invention is to provide Fc variants having a ratio of FcγRIIIa fold: FcγRIIb fold greater than 1: 1. In certain embodiments, the Fc variant has a ratio of FcγRIIIa fold: FcγRIIb fold greater than 11: 1. In a preferred embodiment, it has a ratio of 11: 1 to 86: 1 FcγRIIIa fold: FcγRIIb fold.

  A further object of the present invention is to provide Fc variants that more effectively mediate effector function in the presence of effector cells. In certain embodiments, the Fc variant mediates ADCC that is greater than that mediated by the parent Fc polypeptide. In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variant mediates ADCC greater than 5 times that mediated by the parent Fc polypeptide. In a most preferred embodiment, the Fc variant mediates ADCC that is 5- to 1000-fold greater than that mediated by the parent Fc polypeptide.

  It is a further object of the present invention to provide Fc variants that bind with weaker affinity to one or more FcγRs. A further object of the present invention is to provide Fc variants that mediate ADCC with lower effects in the presence of effector cells.

  It is a further object of the present invention to provide Fc variants that have improved function and / or solubility properties compared to the non-glycosylated form of the parent Fc polypeptide. Here, improved functionality includes, but is not limited to, binding affinity for Fc ligands. Here, improved dissolution characteristics include, but are not limited to, stability and solubility. In certain embodiments, the Fc variant binds to FcγR with an affinity within about 0.5 fold of a glycosylated form of the parent Fc polypeptide. In another embodiment, the non-glycosylated Fc variant binds to FcγR with an affinity comparable to the glycosylated parent Fc polypeptide. In another embodiment, the Fc variant binds to FcγR with higher affinity than the glycosylated form of the parent Fc polypeptide.

  The present invention also provides methods for manipulating optimized Fc variants. It is a further object of the present invention to provide experimental production and screening methods to obtain optimized Fc variants.

  The present invention provides isolated nucleic acids that encode the Fc variants described herein. The present invention provides vectors comprising such nucleic acids that are optionally operably linked to regulatory sequences. The present invention provides host cells containing this vector and methods for producing and optionally recovering Fc variants.

  The present invention provides novel Fc polypeptides, including antibodies, Fc fusions, isolated Fc and Fc fragments, including the Fc variants disclosed herein. The novel Fc polypeptides may find use in therapeutic products.

  The present invention provides a composition comprising an Fc polypeptide comprising an Fc variant described herein and a physiologically or pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.

  The present invention contemplates therapeutic and diagnostic uses for Fc polypeptides comprising the Fc variants disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. Antibody structure and function. Shown are the humanized Fab structure from pdb accession code 1CE1 (James et al., 1999, J Mol Biol 289: 293-301), and pdb accession code 1DN2 (DeLano et al., 2000, Science 287 : 1279-1283) is a model of a full-length human IgG1 antibody modeled using the human IgG1 Fc structure derived from. The flexible hinge connecting the Fab and Fc regions is not shown. IgG1 is a heterodimer homodimer consisting of two light chains and two heavy chains. The Ig domains that make up the antibody are displayed, including _VL and C _L of the light chain, V _{H of} the heavy chain, C gamma 1 (Cγ1), C gamma 2 (Cγ2) and C gamma 3 (Cγ3). included. The Fc region is displayed. The relevant protein binding sites are indicated, including the variable region antigen binding sites and the FcγRs, FcRn, C1q and protein A and G binding sites of the Fc region.

  FIG. Fc / FcγRIIIb complex structure 1IIS. Fc is shown as a gray ribbon diagram and FcγRIIIb is shown as a black ribbon. N297 carbohydrate is shown as a black bar.

  3a-3b. Alignment of amino acid sequences of human IgG immunoglobulins IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4. FIG. 3a provides CH1 (Cγ1) and hinge domain sequences, and FIG. 3b provides CH2 (Cγ2) and CH3 (Cγ3) domain sequences. Positions are numbered according to the EU index of the IgG1 sequence and the differences between IgG1 and other immunoglobulins IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4 are shown in gray. Since there are polymorphisms at many positions (Kim et al., 2001, J. Mol. Evol. 54: 1-9), there may be slight differences between the presented sequences and the prior art sequences . It marks the beginning of a potential Fc region, which is defined herein as either EU position 226 or 230.

  FIG. Residues that made amino acid modifications to the Fc variants of the invention mapped onto the Fc / FcγRIIIb complex structure 1IIS. Fc is shown as a gray ribbon diagram and FcγRIIIb is shown as a black ribbon. Residues in the experimental library are shown in black and N297 carbohydrate is shown in grey.

  Figure 5. Expression of alemtuzumab Fc variant and wild type (WT) protein in 293T cells. A plasmid containing the alemtuzumab heavy chain gene (WT or variant) was transfected with a plasmid containing the alemtuzumab light chain gene. The medium was collected 5 days after transfection. For each transfection sample, 10 ul of medium was applied to an SDS-PAGE gel for Western analysis. The probe for Western was a peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-human IgG (Jackson Immuno-Research, catalog # 109-035-088). WT: wild type alemtuzumab; 1-10: alemtuzumab mutant. H and L indicate the heavy chain and light chain of the antibody, respectively.

  FIG. Purification of alemtuzumab using protein A chromatography. WT alemtuzumab protein was expressed in 293T cells and the medium was collected 5 days after transfection. The medium was diluted 1: 1 with PBS and purified with Protein A (Pierce, Catalog # 20334). O: first sample before purification; FT: flow through; E: extract; C: final sample concentrated. The left photo shows a simple blue-stained SDS-PAGE gel and the right shows a Western blot labeled with peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-human IgG.

  FIG. Purification of deglycosylated antibody. Alemtuzumab wild-type and mutants were expressed in 293T cells and purified by protein A chromatography. The antibody was incubated with peptide-N-glycosidase (PNGase F) for 24 hours at 37 ° C. For each antibody, a mock-treated sample (-PNGaseF) was equilibrated. WT: Wild type alemtuzumab; # 15, # 16, # 17, # 18, # 22: Alemtuzumab mutants F241E / F243R / V262E / V264R, F241E / F243Q / V262T / V264E, F241R / F243Q / V262T / V264R, respectively F241E / F243Y / V262T / V264R and I332E. PNGaseF-treated samples that migrate faster than mock-treated samples represent deglycosylated heavy chains.

  Figure 8. Alemtuzumab expressed from 293T cells binds to its antigen. Antigen CD52 peptide fused to GST was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) under IPTG induction. Both uninduced and induced samples were run on an SDS-PAGE gel and transferred to a PVDF membrane. For Western analysis, Sotec (α-CD52, Sotec) alemtuzumab (final concentration of 2.5 ng / ul) or transfected 293T cell medium (Campath, Xencor) (final alemtuzumab concentration of about 0.1-0.2 ng / ul ul) was used as the primary antibody and peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-human IgG was used as the secondary antibody. M: pre-stained marker; U: non-induced sample of GST-CD52; I: induced sample of GST-CD52.

  FIG. Expression and purification of the extracellular region of human V158 FcγRIIIa. Tagged FcγRIIIa was transfected into 293T cells and the medium containing secreted FcγRIIIa was collected after 3 days and purified using affinity chromatography. 1: medium; 2: effluent; 3: wash; 4-8: continuous extract. The result of a simple blue stained SDS-PAGE gel and Western is shown. The membrane was probed with anti-GST antibody for Western blot.

FIG. Binding to human V158 FcγRIIIa by an alemtuzumab Fc variant selected from an experimental library as determined by the AlphaScreen ^™ assay described in Example 2. In the presence of competing antibodies (Fc variant or WT alemtuzumab), a characteristic inhibition curve was observed as a decrease in luminescent signal. Phosphate buffered saline (PBS) alone was used as a negative control. The binding data was normalized to the maximum and minimum luminescence signals produced by the baseline at low and high antibody concentrations, respectively, for each particular curve. The curve represents the fit of the data to a partial competition model using nonlinear regression. These fits provide an IC50 for each antibody. This will be illustrated with broken lines for WT and S239D.

  Figures 11a and 11b. AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab (Figure 11a) and trastuzumab (Figure 11b) Fc variants to human Val158 FcγRIIIa. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

  FIG. AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human FcγRIIb. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

  FIG. AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human R131 FcγRIIa. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model.

  FIG. AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human FcRn as described in Example 2. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

  FIG. AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to bacterial protein A as described in Example 2. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

  16a-16b. AlphaScreen assay comparing the binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa (FIG. 16a) and human FcγRIIb (FIG. 16b). For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

  Figures 17a-17b. AlphaScreen assay that measures binding to human V158 FcγRIIIa (FIGS. 17a and 17b) and human FcγRIIb (FIG. 17c) by selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

  FIG. AlphaScreen assay that measures binding to human V158 FcγRIIIa by selected Fc variants in the context of rituximab. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

  FIG. AlphaScreen assay that measures binding to human V158 FcγRIIIa by selected Fc variants in the context of cetuximab. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

  20a-20b. AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human FcγRIIIa V158 (FIG. 20a) and F158 (FIG. 20b) allotypes. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

21a-21d. Figures 21a and 21b show the correlation between SPR Kd and AlphaScreen IC50 from binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to V158 FcγRIIIa (Figure 21a) and F158 FcγRIIIa (Figure 21b). FIGS. 21c and 21d show the correlation between SPR versus WT and improvement of AlphaScreen for WT for binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to V158 FcγRIIIa (FIG. 21c) and F158 FcγRIIIa (FIG. 21d). The binding data is presented in Table 3. The line between the data represents a linear fit of the data, and the r ² value indicates the significance of these fits.

  22a-22b. AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

Figures 23a-23b. ADCC assay based on cells of selected Fc variants in the context of alemtuzumab. DELFIA ^(R) EuTDA-based cytotoxicity assay (Perkin Elmer, MA) using as described in Example 3, using DoHH-2 lymphoma target cells and 50-fold excess of human PBMC, ADCC Was measured. FIG. 23a is a bar graph showing raw fluorescence data for the specified alemtuzumab antibody at 10 ng / ml. PBMC bars indicate the basal level of cytotoxicity in the absence of antibody. FIG. 23b shows the dose dependence of ADCC on antibody concentration for the specified alemtuzumab antibody, normalized for the minimum and maximum fluorescence signals produced by the baseline at low and high antibody concentrations, respectively, for each particular curve It is. The curve represents the fit of the data to a sigmoidal dose response model using non-linear regression.

24a-24c. A cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab. DELFIA using ^(R) EuTDA-based cytotoxicity assay, as described in Example 3, using BT474 and Sk-Br-3 breast carcinoma target cells and 50-fold excess of human PBMC, measured ADCC did. FIG. 24a is a bar graph showing raw fluorescence data for the specified trastuzumab antibody at 1 ng / ml. PBMC bars indicate the basal level of cytotoxicity in the absence of antibody. Figures 24b and 24c show the dose dependence of ADCC versus antibody concentration for the specified trastuzumab antibody, normalized to the minimum and maximum fluorescence signals produced by the baseline at low and high antibody concentrations, respectively, for each particular curve It is what. The curve represents the fit of the data to a sigmoidal dose response model using nonlinear regression.

Figures 25a-25c. A cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of rituximab. DELFIA using ^(R) EuTDA-based cytotoxicity assay, as described in Example 3, using WIL2-S lymphoma target cells and 50-fold excess of human PBMC, was measured ADCC. FIG. 25a is a bar graph showing raw fluorescence data for the specified rituximab antibody at 1 ng / ml. PBMC bars indicate the basal level of cytotoxicity in the absence of antibody. Figures 25b and 25c show the dose dependence of ADCC versus antibody concentration for the specified rituximab antibody, normalized to the minimum and maximum fluorescence signals produced by the baseline at low and high antibody concentrations, respectively, for each particular curve It is what. The curve represents the fit of the data to a sigmoidal dose response model using nonlinear regression.

  26a-26b. Cell-based ADCC assays of selected trastuzumab (FIG. 26a) and rituximab (FIG. 26b) Fc variants showing enhanced strength and potency. In both assays, homozygous F158 / F158FcγRIIIa PBMCs were used as effector cells in a 25-fold excess of target cells that were Sk-Br-3 for the trastuzumab assay and WIL2-S for the rituximab assay. Provided by the absolute minimal lysis of the assay provided by the fluorescence signal of the target cell in the presence of PBMC alone (no antibody) and the fluorescence signal of the target cell in the presence of Triton X1000 as described in Example 3 Data were normalized according to the absolute maximum lysis of the assay.

  FIG. AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

  FIG. ADCC. A cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variant trastuzumab antibodies compared to WT trastuzumab. Purified human peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) were used as effector cells and Sk-Br-3 breast cancer cells were used as target cells. Lysis was monitored by measuring LDH activity using the Cytotoxicity Detection Kit (LDH, Roche Diagnostic Corporation, Indianapolis, IN). Samples were run in triplicate and provided error estimates (n = 3, +/− SD). The figure shows the dose dependence of ADCC at various antibody concentrations, normalized to the lowest and highest levels of lysis for this assay. The curve represents the fit of the data to a sigmoidal dose response model using non-linear regression.

Figures 29a-29b. A cell-based ADCC assay of selected trastuzumab Fc variants against different cell lines expressing various levels of Her2 / neu target antigen. As described in Example 5, amplified to low levels, including Sk-Br-3 (1 × 10 ⁶ copies), SkOV3 (˜1 × 10 ⁵ ), OVCAR3 (˜1 × 10 ⁴ ) and MCF-7 (˜3 × 10 ³ copies) ADCC assays were performed on various cell lines expressing the Her2 / neu receptor. FIG. 29a provides a Western blot showing Her2 expression levels for each cell line; an equal amount of cell lysate was loaded on an SDS-PAGE gel and Her2 was detected using trastuzumab. Human PBMC allotyped to homozygous F158 / F158FcγRIII was used in a 25-fold excess over the target cells. The bar graph in FIG. 29b provides ADCC data for WT and Fc variants for the specified cell lines, normalized to the minimum and maximum fluorescence signals produced by minimal lysis (PBMC alone) and maximal lysis (Triton X1000). It is a thing.

  FIG. A cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab, using natural killer (NK) cells as effector cells and measuring LDH release to monitor cell lysis. NK cells allotyped to heterozygous F158 / F158 FcγRIIIa are 4 fold excess over Sk-Br-3 breast cancer target cells, using cytotoxic levels using the LDH Cytotoxicity Detection Kit according to the manufacturer's protocol (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany). The graph shows the dose dependence of ADCC versus antibody concentration for the specified trastuzumab antibody, which is normalized to the minimum and maximum fluorescence signals produced by the baseline at low and high antibody concentrations, respectively, for each particular curve It is a thing. The curve represents the fit of the data to a sigmoidal dose response model using non-linear regression.

  FIG. ADCP assay based on cells of selected mutants. The ADCP assay was performed using a co-labeling strategy combined with flow cytometry as described in Example 7. Differentiated macrophages were used as effector cells and Sk-Br-3 cells were used as target cells. The percentage of phagocytosis is the number of co-labeled cells (macrophages + Sk-Br-3) relative to the total number of Sk-Br-3 in the population (phagocytosed + not phagocytosed) Represents.

  32a-32c. Ability of selected Fc variants to mediate complement binding and activation. FIG. 32a shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures the binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to C1q. The binding data is normalized to the upper and lower baselines for each particular antibody and the curve represents the fit of the data to a partial competition model. Figures 32b and 31c show cell-based assays that measure the ability of selected rituximab Fc variants to mediate CDC. The CDC assay was performed using Amar Blue to monitor lysis by human serum complement of WIL2-S lymphoma cells opsonized with Fc variants and WT rituximab (Quidel, San Diego, CA). For the rituximab antibody specified, the dose dependence of complement-mediated lysis versus antibody concentration is shown, for each specific curve relative to the minimum and maximum fluorescence signals produced by the baseline at low and high antibody concentrations, respectively. It is standardized. The curve represents a fit of the data to a sigmoidal dose response model using non-linear regression.

  Figures 33a-33c. Enhancement of B cell depletion by Fc variants in macaque monkeys as described in Example 9. FIG. 33a shows the percentage of B cells remaining in the monkey group of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca Fascicularis) during treatment with anti-CD20WT and S239D / I332E rituximab antibody, measured using the markers CD20 + and CD40 +. FIG. 33b shows the percentage of natural killer (NK) cells remaining in the monkey group during treatment, measured using the markers CD3- / CD16 + and CD3- / CD8 +. FIG. 33c shows the dose response of CD20 + B cell levels to treatment with S239D / I332E rituximab. Data are presented as an average of 3 monkeys / sample.

  Figures 34a and 34b. AlphaScreen assay measuring binding of selected alemtuzumab (Figure 34a) and trastuzumab (Figure 34b) Fc variants to mouse FcγRIII as described in Example 10. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

FIG. ADCC assay based on cells of selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab, using mouse PBMC as effector cells. DELFIA using ^(R) cytotoxicity assay based on EuTDA, using Sk-Br-3 breast carcinoma target cells and 8-fold excess mouse PBMC, it was measured ADCC. The bar graph shows raw fluorescence data at 10 ng / ml for the specified trastuzumab antibody. PBMC bars indicate basal levels of cytotoxicity in the absence of antibody, TX indicates complete cell lysis in the presence of Triton X1000.

  FIG. AlphaScreen assay measuring binding to human V158 FcγRIIIa by selected trastuzumab Fc variants expressed in 293T and CHO cells as described in Example 11. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

37a-37b. Synergy of Fc variants and engineered glycoforms. FIG. 37a presents an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of V158FcγRIIIa by WT and Fc variants (V209, S239 / I332E / A330L) trastuzumab expressed in 293T, CHO and Lec-13CHO cells. For each antibody, data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control. FIG. 37b presents a cell-based ADCC assay showing the ability of 239T, CHO and Lec-13CHO expressed WT and V209 trastuzumab to mediate ADCC. The DELFIA ^{(registered trademark)} EuTDA of as previously described using a cytotoxicity assay based, with Sk-Br-3 breast carcinoma target cells, it was measured ADCC. The data shows the dose dependence of ADCC versus antibody concentration for the specified trastuzumab antibody, which for each specific curve is relative to the minimum and maximum fluorescence signals produced by the baseline at low and high antibody concentrations, respectively. It is standardized. The curve represents the fit of the data to a sigmoidal dose response model using non-linear regression.

  FIG. AlphaScreen assay showing binding of non-glycosylated alemtuzumab Fc variant to human V158 FcγRIIIa. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model. PBS was used as a negative control.

  FIG. AlphaScreen assay comparing the binding of human V158 FcγRIIIa by selected alemtuzumab Fc variants in the glycosylated (black symbol, solid line) and deglycosylated (white symbol, dashed line) states. For each specific antibody, the binding data was normalized to the upper and lower baselines. The curve represents the fit of the data to the partial competition model.

40a-40c. Sequence showing improved anti-CD20 antibody. The light and heavy chain sequences of rituximab are presented in FIGS. 40a and 40b, respectively. These were taken from the translated sequence 3 of US 5,736,137. The related positions including S239, V240, V264I, H268, E272, K274, N297, S298, K326, A330 and I332 in FIG. 40b are bolded. FIG. 40c shows the sequence of the improved anti-CD20 antibody heavy chain with variable positions X ₁ , X ₂ , X ₃ , X ₄ , X ₅ , X ₆ , X ₇ , X ₈ , X ₉ , Z _1. It is shown in bold and as Z _2. The table below the sequence provides possible substitutions for these positions. The sequence of the improved anti-CD20 antibody is at least one non-selected from the group of possible substitutions for X ₁ , X ₂ , X ₃ , X ₄ , X ₅ , X ₆ , X ₇ , X ₈ and X _9. Contains WT amino acids. The sequences of these improved anti-CD20 antibodies may also include substitutions Z ₁ and / or Z ₂ . These positions are numbered according to the EU index as in Kabat and therefore do not correspond to the sequential order of the sequences.

  FIG. 41 shows a set of Fc variants that have been constructed and tested experimentally.

  FIG. 42 shows SEQ ID NO: 5; specific Xaa residues are as shown in Table 10.

Detailed Description of the Invention In order that the present invention may be more fully understood, several definitions are set forth below. Such definitions are intended to encompass grammatical equivalents.

“ ADCC ” or “ antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity ”, as used herein, recognizes an antibody in which non-specific cytotoxic cells expressing FcγRs bind on a target cell; It means a cell-mediated reaction that subsequently causes lysis of the target cell.

“ ADCP ” or antibody-dependent cell-mediated phagocytosis , as used herein, recognizes antibodies bound by non-specific cytotoxic cells expressing FcγRs on target cells, followed by It means a cell-mediated reaction that causes phagocytosis of the target cell.

“ Amino acid modification ” as used herein means an amino acid substitution, insertion and / or deletion in a polypeptide sequence. A preferred amino acid modification in the present invention is substitution. “ Amino acid substitution ” or “ substitution ” as used herein means the replacement of an amino acid by another amino acid at a particular position in the parent polypeptide sequence. For example, substitution I332E represents a mutant polypeptide in which the isoleucine at position 332 is replaced with glutamic acid, in this case an Fc variant. In some embodiments, it is not necessary to determine WT identity. For example, substitution 332E represents a variant polypeptide in which position 332 is mutated to glutamic acid.

“ Antibody ” as used herein means a protein consisting of one or more polypeptides substantially encoded by all or part of the recognized immunoglobulin genes. The recognized immunoglobulin genes include, for example, the kappa (κ), lambda (λ), and heavy chain loci in humans, which are numerous variable region genes, as well as IgM, IgD, IgG, respectively. Together, the constant region genes mu (μ), delta (δ), gamma (γ), sigma (σ) and alpha (α) encoding the isotypes of IgE and IgA. The antibodies herein are intended to include full-length antibodies and antibody fragments, natural antibodies from any organism, engineered antibodies, or experimental, therapeutic or as further defined below. Mention may be made of antibodies produced recombinantly for other purposes. The term “antibody” includes antibody fragments such as Fab, Fab ′, F (ab ′) ₂ , Fv, scFv or other antigen binding sequences of an antibody, as known in the art, It can be produced by complete antibody modification or newly synthesized using recombinant DNA techniques. Particularly preferred are full length antibodies comprising Fc variants as described herein. The term “antibody” includes monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. An antibody can be antagonist, agonist, neutralizing, inhibitory or stimulatory. As detailed below, the antibodies of the invention can be non-human, chimeric, humanized or fully human.

Specifically included within the definition of “antibody” are aglycosylated antibodies. " Non-glycosylated antibody " as used herein means an antibody that lacks a carbohydrate that binds at position 297 of the Fc region (numbering is according to the EU system as in Kabat). The non-glycosylated antibody may be a deglycosylated antibody, for example an antibody in which the Fc carbohydrate has been removed, eg, chimeric or enzymatically. Alternatively, non-glycosylated antibodies may be free of Fc carbohydrates, for example, by mutation of one or more residues encoding a glycosylation pattern, or by expression in an organism that does not bind carbohydrates to proteins, such as bacteria. The antibody expressed in can be a nonglycosylated or unglycosylated antibody.

Specifically included within the definition of “antibody” are full-length antibodies that contain an Fc variant portion. “ Full-length antibody ” as used herein refers to the structure that constitutes the natural biological form of an antibody, including variable and constant regions. For example, in most mammals, including humans and mice, IgG class full-length antibodies are tetramers, consisting of two identical pairs of two immunoglobulin chains, each pair consisting of one light Each light chain comprises immunoglobulin domains V _L and C _L , each heavy chain comprising immunoglobulin domains V _H , Cγ1 (C _H 1), Cγ2 (C _H 2 ) And Cγ3 (C _H 3). In some mammals, such as camels and llamas, IgG antibodies may consist of only two heavy chains, each heavy chain comprising a variable domain attached to an Fc region. “ IgG ” as used herein means a polypeptide belonging to the class of antibodies substantially encoded by recognized immunoglobulin gamma genes. In humans, this class includes IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4. In mice, this class includes IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, IgG3.

"Amino acid" and "amino acid identity was" (amno acid identity), as used herein, 1 in any non-natural analogues that may be present in the twenty naturally occurring amino acids or specific definition of position Means one. “Protein” as used herein means at least two covalently linked amino acids and includes proteins, polypeptides, oligopeptides and peptides. Proteins include naturally occurring amino acids and peptide bonds, or synthetic peptidomimetic structures, ie, “analogs” such as peptoids (see Simon et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89 (20): 9367, published by reference). (Particularly if the LC peptide is to be administered to a patient). Thus, “amino acid” or “peptide residue” as used herein means both naturally occurring and synthetic amino acids. For example, homophenylalanine, citrulline and norleucine are considered amino acids for the purposes of the present invention. “Amino acid” also includes imino acid residues such as proline and hydroxyproline. The side chain may be in either (R) or (S) configuration. In a preferred embodiment, the amino acid is in the (S) or L-configuration. When non-naturally occurring side chains are used, substituents that are not amino acids may be used, for example to prevent or delay degradation in vivo.

“ Effector function ” as used herein refers to a biochemical event resulting from the interaction of an Fc region of an antibody with an Fc receptor or ligand. Effector functions include, but are not limited to ADCC, ADCP and CDC. “ Effector cell ” as used herein means a cell of the immune system that expresses one or more Fc receptors and mediates one or more effector functions. Effector cells include monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, eosinophils, mast cells, platelets, B cells, large granular lymphocytes, Langerhans cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and γγ T cells May be derived from any organism including, but not limited to, humans, mice, rats, rabbits and monkeys. A “ library ” as used herein is a list of nucleic acid or amino acid sequences, a list of nucleic acids or amino acid substitutions at variable positions, a physical library containing nucleic acids encoding library sequences, or a purified or unpurified form By any form of a set of Fc variants is meant, including but not limited to physical libraries comprising Fc variant proteins.

“ Fc ” or “ Fc region ” as used herein means a polypeptide comprising the constant region of an antibody except the first constant region immunoglobulin domain. Thus, Fc is the last two constant region immunoglobulin domains of IgA, IgD and IgG, and the last three constant region immunoglobulin domains of IgE and IgM, and the N-terminal flexible hinge of these domains Represents. For IgA and IgM, the Fc can include the J chain. For IgG, as illustrated in FIG. 1, Fc is the immunoglobulin domain Cgamma2 and Cgamma3 (Cγ2 and Cγ3) and the hinge between Cgamma1 (Cγ1) and Cgamma2 (Cγ2). Including. Although the boundaries of the Fc region can vary, human IgG heavy chain Fc regions are usually defined to include residues C226 or P230 to the carboxyl terminus (numbering follows the EU index as in Kabat). Fc may represent this region isolated or in the context of an antibody, antibody fragment or Fc fusion. Fc may represent this region alone or in the context of an Fc polypeptide, as described below. As used herein, “ Fc polypeptide ” means a polypeptide comprising all or part of an Fc region. Fc polypeptides include antibodies, Fc fusions, isolated Fc and Fc fragments.

“ Fc fusion ” as used herein means a protein in which one or more polypeptides or small molecules are operably linked to Fc. Fc fusions are used herein as used in the prior art (Chamow et al., 1996, Trends Biotechnol 14: 52-60; Ashkenazi et al., 1997, Curr Opin Immunol 9: 195-200, source Expressly synonymous with the terms “immunoadhesin”, “Ig fusion”, “Ig chimera” and “receptor globulin” (sometimes accompanied by a dash). To do. Fc fusions combine the Fc region of an immunoglobulin with a fusion partner . The fusion partner can generally be any protein or small molecule. The role of the non-Fc portion of the Fc fusion, ie, the fusion partner, may be to modulate target binding, and thus it is functionally similar to the variable region of an antibody.

“ Fc gamma receptor ” or “ FcγR ” as used herein means any member of the family of proteins that bind to the Fc region of IgG antibodies and are substantially encoded by the FcγR gene. In humans, this family includes FcγRI (CD64) including isoforms FcγRIa, FcγRIb and FcγRIc; isoforms FcγRIIa (including allotypes H131 and R131), FcγRIIb (including FcγRIIb-1 and FcγRIIb-2) and FcγRIIc FcγRII (CD32); and FcγRIII (CD16), including isoforms FcγRIIIa (including allotypes V158 and F158) and FcγRIIIb (including allotypes FcγRIIIb-NA1 and FcγRIIIb-NA2), and any undiscovered human FcγRs or FcγR isoforms Although allotype is also included, it is not limited to these. The FcγR may be derived from any organism, including but not limited to humans, mice, rats, rabbits and monkeys. Mouse FcγRs include FcγRI (CD64), FcγRII (CD32), FcγRIII (CD16) and FcγRIII-2 (CD16-2), as well as any undiscovered mouse FcγRs or FcγR isoforms or allotypes. It is not limited to.

“ Fc ligand ” or “ effector ligand ” as used herein is a molecule, preferably a polypeptide, from any organism that binds to the Fc region of an antibody to form an Fc / Fc ligand complex. Means. Binding of the Fc ligand to Fc preferably induces one or more effector functions. Fc ligands include Fc receptor, FcγR, FcαR, FcεR, FcRn, C1q, C3, mannan-binding lectin, mannose receptor, Staphylococcus protein A, Staphylococcus protein G and viral FcγR. However, it is not limited to these. Fc ligands include Fc receptor homologs (FcRH), a family of Fc receptors homologous to FcγR (Davis et al., 2002, Immunological Reviews 190: 123-136, which is incorporated herein by reference) Included). Fc ligands can also include undiscovered molecules that bind Fc.

“ IgG ” as used herein means a polypeptide belonging to the class of antibodies substantially encoded by recognized immunoglobulin gamma genes. In humans, this class includes IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4. In mice, this class includes IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, IgG3. “ Immunoglobulin (Ig) ” as used herein means a protein consisting of one or more polypeptides substantially encoded by immunoglobulin genes. Immunoglobulins include but are not limited to antibodies. Immunoglobulins can have a number of structural forms, including but not limited to full length antibodies, antibody fragments and individual immunoglobulin domains. By “ immunoglobulin (Ig) domain ” is meant herein a region of an immunoglobulin that exists as a separate structure, as will be ascertained by one skilled in the art of protein structure. Ig domains typically have a characteristic β-sandwich folding topology. Known Ig domains in the IgG class of _{antibody, V H, Cγ1, Cγ2,} Cγ3, a _{V L} and _{C L.}

“ Parent polypeptide ” or “ precursor polypeptide ” (including the parent or precursor of Fc), as used herein, means a polypeptide that is later modified to produce a variant. The parent polypeptide can be a naturally occurring polypeptide, or a variant or engineered variant of a naturally occurring polypeptide. The parent polypeptide may represent the polypeptide itself, a composition comprising the parent polypeptide, or the amino acid sequence that encodes it. Thus, “ parent Fc polypeptide ” as used herein means an Fc polypeptide that is modified to produce a variant, and “ parent antibody ” as used herein is modified Means an antibody that produces a mutant antibody.

As outlined above, certain positions of the Fc molecule can be altered. “ Position ” as used herein means a location in a protein sequence. The positions may be numbered sequentially or according to an established format, for example the EU index as in Kabat. For example, position 297 is a position in human antibody IgG1. Corresponding positions are generally determined through alignment with other parental sequences as outlined above.

“ Residue ” as used herein means a position in a protein and the amino acid identity associated therewith. For example, asparagine 297 (also called Asn297, also called N297) is a residue in human antibody IgG1.

“ Target antigen ” as used herein means a molecule that is specifically bound by the variable region of a given antibody. The target antigen can be a protein, carbohydrate, lipid or other chemical compound.

“ Target cell ” as used herein means a cell that expresses a target antigen.

A “ variable region ” as used herein is one or more Igs substantially encoded by the Vκ, Vλ, and / or V _H genes that make up the kappa, lambda, and heavy chain immunoglobulin loci, respectively. Refers to the region of an immunoglobulin that contains the domain.

A “ variant polypeptide ” as used herein means a polypeptide sequence that differs from a parent polypeptide sequence due to at least one amino acid modification. The parent polypeptide may be a naturally occurring or wild type (WT) polypeptide, or it may be a modified version of the WT polypeptide. A variant polypeptide may represent the polypeptide itself, a composition comprising the polypeptide, or the amino acid sequence that encodes it. Preferably, the variant polypeptide has at least one amino acid modification compared to the parent polypeptide, such as from about 1 to about 10 amino acid modifications compared to the parent polypeptide, preferably from about 1 to about Has 5 amino acid modifications. A variant polypeptide sequence as used herein preferably has at least about 80% homology, most preferably at least about 90% homology, more preferably at least about 95% homology with the parent polypeptide sequence. Have sex. Thus, an “ Fc variant ” as used herein means an Fc sequence that differs from a parent Fc sequence due to at least one amino acid modification. An Fc variant may include only one Fc region or may exist with respect to an antibody, Fc fusion, isolated Fc, Fc fragment, or other polypeptide substantially encoded by Fc. An Fc variant may represent the Fc polypeptide itself, a composition comprising the Fc variant polypeptide, or the amino acid sequence that encodes it.

  The Fc variants of the present invention are defined according to the amino acid modifications that constitute them. Thus, for example, I332E is an Fc variant with the substitution I332E compared to the parent Fc polypeptide. Similarly, S239D / A330L / I332E (also referred to as 239D / 330L / 332E) defines Fc variants with substitutions S239D, A330L and I332E (239D, 330L and 332E) compared to the parent Fc polypeptide. It is noted that the order in which substitutions are provided is arbitrary, eg, S239D / A330L / I332E is the same Fc variant as S239D / I332E / A330L, etc. For all positions discussed in the present invention, the numbering is based on the EU index or EU numbering scheme (Kabat et al., 1991, Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, 5th Ed., United States Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health. , Bethesda, which is incorporated herein by reference). The EU index or EU index as in Kabat represents the numbering of this EU antibody (Edelman et al., 1969, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 63: 78-85, hereby incorporated by reference). ).

  The present invention is directed to optimized Fc variants that are useful in a variety of contexts. As outlined above, current antibody therapies have various problems. The present invention provides a promising means to enhance the anti-tumor strength of antibodies, through enhancement of their ability to mediate cytotoxic effector functions such as ADCC, ADCP and CDC. The present invention shows that antibodies with Fc regions that are optimized for binding to certain FcγRs can better mediate effector function and thereby more effectively destroy cancer cells in the patient. Indicates. The balance between activating and inhibitory receptors is an important consideration, and optimal effector function has enhanced affinity for activating receptors such as FcγRI, FcγRIIa / c and FcγRIIIa, On the other hand, it can be attributed to Fc with reduced affinity for the inhibitory receptor FcγRIIb. Furthermore, because FcγRs can mediate antigen uptake and processing by antigen-presenting cells, enhanced Fc / FcγR affinity can also improve the ability of antibody therapeutics to elicit an acquired immune response. For example, several mutations including S298A, E333A, and K334A disclosed herein show enhanced binding to the activating receptor FcγRIIIa and reduced binding to the inhibitory receptor FcγRIIb. These mutations may be combined to obtain double and triple mutant variants that exhibit additive binding improvements. A special variant is the S298A / E333A / K334A triple mutation, which gives an approximately 1.7-fold increase in binding to F158FcγRIIIa, a 5-fold decrease in binding to FcγRIIb, and a 2.1-fold enhancement in ADCC. Accompanied.

  Although there is a desire for greater effector function, some antibody therapeutics may require reduced or eliminated effector function. This is often the case for therapeutic antibodies whose mechanism of action includes blocking or antagonism but does not involve killing cells with the target antigen. In these cases, target cell depletion is undesirable and can be considered a side effect. For example, the ability of anti-CD4 antibodies to block CD4 receptors on T cells makes them effective anti-inflammatory agents, but their ability to recruit FcγR receptors also leads to immune attack against target cells , Resulting in T cell depletion (Reddy et al., 2000, J Immunol 164: 1925-1933, incorporated herein by reference). Effector function can also be a problem with radiolabeled antibodies called radioconjugates and antibodies conjugated to toxins called immunotoxins. Although these drugs can be used to destroy cancer cells, recruiting immune cells through the interaction of Fc with FcγRs results in healthy immune cells in the vicinity of lethal loads (radioactivity or toxins) Carrying in and leads to depletion of normal lymphoid tissue with target cancer cells (Hutchins et al., 1995, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92: 11980-11984; White et al., 2001, Annu Rev Med 52: 125-145, source explicit As a part of this specification). This problem may be circumvented by the use of IgG isotypes that weakly recruit complement or effector cells, such as IgG2 and IgG4. An alternative solution is the development of Fc variants that reduce or abolish binding (Alegre et al., 1994, Transplantation 57: 1537-1543; Hutchins et al., 1995, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92 : 11980-11984; Armor et al., 1999, Eur J Immunol 29: 2613-2624; Reddy et al., 2000, J Immunol 164: 1925-1933; Xu et al., 2000, Cell Immunol 200: 16-26 Shields et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276: 6591-6604) (US 6,194,551; US 5,885,573; PCT WO 99/58572), all incorporated herein by reference. An important consideration for reducing or eliminating effector function is that other important antibody properties are not disturbed. Fc variants not only lose binding to FcγRs and / or C1q, but also antibody stability, solubility and structural integrity, as well as other important Fc such as FcRn and proteins A and G. It should be engineered to maintain the ability to interact with the ligand.

  In addition, the present invention utilizes engineered glycoforms that can enhance Fc / FcγR affinity and effector function. Non-glycosylated Fc with favorable dissolution properties and ability to mediate effector functions will greatly enable the alternative production methods described above. Overcoming the structural and functional disadvantages of non-glycosylated Fc reduces the risk of immunogenicity in bacteria and genetically modified plants and animals, and in clinical applications where cytotoxic effects such as cancer are desired Thus, an antibody can be produced with an effector function. The present invention describes the use of protein engineering methods to develop stable soluble Fc variants with effector functions. Currently, no such Fc variants exist in the art.

Fc Variants of the Invention The Fc variants of the present invention may find use with various Fc polypeptides. An Fc polypeptide comprising an Fc variant of the present invention is referred to herein as an “ Fc polypeptide of the present invention ”. The Fc polypeptides of the present invention include polypeptides comprising the Fc variants of the present invention in the context of larger polypeptides such as antibodies or Fc fusions. That is, the Fc polypeptides of the present invention include antibodies and Fc fusions comprising the Fc variants of the present invention. “ Antibody of the invention ” as used herein means an antibody comprising an Fc variant of the invention. “ Fc fusion of the invention ” as used herein refers to an Fc fusion comprising an Fc variant of the invention. Fc polypeptides of the present invention also include polypeptides that contain little or no additional polypeptide sequence other than the Fc region, and are referred to as isolated Fc. As used herein, an “ isolated Fc of the present invention” means an Fc polypeptide comprising an Fc variant of the present invention and comprising little or no additional polypeptide sequence other than the Fc region. The Fc polypeptides of the present invention also include fragments of the Fc region. “ Fc fragment of the invention ” as used herein means an Fc fragment comprising an Fc variant of the invention. As described below, any of the Fc polypeptides of the invention described above may be fused with one or more fusion partners or conjugate partners to provide the desired function.

  Fc variants can be constructed in a parent Fc polypeptide regardless of its context. That is, the only criterion for a parent Fc polypeptide is that it contains an Fc region. The parent Fc polypeptides described herein can be derived from a wide range of sources and can be substantially encoded by one or more Fc genes from any organism, including human, mouse and rat Including, but not limited to, rodents such as rodents, rabbits and hares, camelids such as camels, llamas and dromedaries, and primates, broad-nosed eyes (new world monkeys), rhesus superfamily (old world monkeys) ), And non-human primates including, but not limited to, human superfamily including gibbon, humanoid apes and apes. Humans are most preferred. The parent Fc polypeptides of the present invention comprise sequences belonging to the IgG (including human subclass IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 or IgG4), IgA (including human subclass IgA1 and IgA2), IgD, IgE, IgG or IgM classes of antibodies. However, it may be substantially encoded by immunoglobulin genes belonging to any antibody class, but not limited thereto. Most preferably, the parent Fc polypeptide of the invention comprises a sequence belonging to the human IgG class of an antibody. For example, the parent Fc polypeptide can be a parent antibody, such as a human IgG1 antibody, a human IgA antibody, or a mouse IgG2a or IgG2b antibody. The parent antibody can be non-human, chimeric, humanized or fully human, as detailed below. The parent Fc polypeptide may be modified or engineered in several ways. For example, the parent antibody may be affinity matured or have an engineered glycoform, all as described in detail below. Alternatively, the parent Fc polypeptide can be an Fc fusion, eg, an Fc fusion in which a fusion partner targets a cell surface receptor. Alternatively, the parent Fc polypeptide can be an isolated Fc region with little or no polypeptide sequence outside the Fc region. The parent Fc polypeptide may be a naturally occurring Fc region or an engineered variant in which an Fc polypeptide is present. Importantly, the parent Fc polypeptide contains an Fc region that can be mutated to generate an Fc variant.

The Fc variants of the present invention may be antibodies and are referred to herein as “antibodies of the present invention”. The antibodies of the present invention comprise sequences belonging to the IgG (including human subclass IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 or IgG4), IgA (including human subclass IgA1 and IgA2), IgD, IgE, IgG or IgM classes of antibodies. It may include, but is not limited to, immunoglobulin sequences that may be substantially encoded by immunoglobulin genes belonging to any antibody class. Most preferably, the antibody of the invention comprises a sequence belonging to the human IgG class of the antibody. The antibodies of the invention can be non-human, chimeric, humanized or fully human. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these different types of antibodies reflect the “human character”, ie the degree of potential level of immunogenicity in humans. For an explanation of these concepts, see Clark et al., 2000 and references cited therein (Clark, 2000, Immunol Today 21: 397-402, incorporated herein by reference). ). A chimeric antibody comprises the variable regions of a non-human antibody, eg, mouse or rat term V _H and V _L domains, operably linked to the constant region of a human antibody (eg, US Pat. No. 4,816,567). (Refer to issue No. and hereby incorporated by reference) The non-human variable region may be derived from any organism as described above, preferably a mammal, most preferably a rodent or a primate. In certain embodiments, the antibodies of the present invention can be modified in monkeys as described, for example, in Newman et al., 1992, Biotechnology 10: 1455-1460, US 5,658,570 and US 5,750,105, which are incorporated herein by reference. Includes domain. In a preferred embodiment, the variable region is derived from a non-human source, but its immunogenicity is reduced using protein manipulation. In a preferred embodiment, the antibodies of the invention are humanized (Tsurushita & Vasquez, 2004, Humanization of Monoclonal Antibodies, Molecular Biology of B Cells, 533-545, Elsevier Science (USA), hereby incorporated by reference. Part of). A “ humanized ” antibody, as used herein, is an antibody that comprises a human framework region (FR) and one or more complementarity determining regions (CDRs) from a non-human (usually mouse or rat) antibody. Means. Non-human antibodies that provide CDRs are called “donors” and human immunoglobulins that provide the framework are called “acceptors”. Humanization is primarily by transplantation of donor CDRs into the acceptor (human) _VL and _VH frameworks (Winter US 5225539, incorporated herein by reference). This strategy is called “CDR transplantation”. “Backmutation” of selected acceptor framework residues to the corresponding donor residues often results in restoring lost affinity in the originally transplanted construct. Required (US 5,530,101; US 5,585,089; US 5,693,761; US 5,693,762; US 6,180,370; US 5,859,205; US 5,821,337; US 6,054 , 297; US 6,407,213, incorporated herein by reference). Numerous other humanization methods are known in the art (Tsurushita & Vasquez, 2004, Humanization of Monoclonal Antibodies, Molecular Biology of B Cells, 533-545, Elsevier Science (USA), hereby incorporated by reference. Any of such methods find use in the present invention in modifying Fc variants for reduced immunogenicity. Optionally, the humanized antibody also comprises at least a portion of an immunoglobulin constant region, typically that of a human immunoglobulin, and thus typically comprises a human Fc region. In the most preferred embodiment, the immunogenicity of the Fc variants of the present invention is determined by the “Methods of Generating Variant Proteins with Increased Host String, filed Dec. 3, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Reduced using the method described in USSN 11 / 004,590 entitled “Content and Compositions Thereof,”. In an alternative embodiment, the antibodies of the invention may be fully human, i.e., the sequence of the antibody is fully or substantially human. Transgenic mice (Bruggemann et al., 1997, Curr Opin Biotechnol 8: 455-458, hereby incorporated by reference) or human antibody libraries in combination with selection methods (Griffiths et al., 1998, Numerous methods for generating fully human antibodies are known in the art, including the use of Curr Opin Biotechnol 9: 102-108, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The Fc variants of the present invention may be Fc fusions, referred to herein as “ Fc fusions of the present invention ”. The Fc fusions of the present invention comprise an Fc polypeptide operably linked to one or more fusion partners. The role of the fusion partner is typically, but not always, to mediate binding of the Fc fusion to the target antigen (Chamow et al., 1996, Trends Biotechnol 14: 52-60; Ashkenazi et al. al., 1997, Curr Opin Immunol 9: 195-200, which is incorporated herein by reference). For example, approved drug alefacept (alefacept) (sold as AMEVIVE ^(TM)) is an immunosuppressive consisting of the extracellular CD2-binding portion of the human leukocyte function antigen linked to the Fc region of human IgG1 -3 (LFA-3) Sex Fc fusion. Approved drug etanercept (etanercept) (sold as ENBREL ^(R)) is a Fc fusion comprising an extracellular ligand-binding portion of human tumor necrosis factor receptor linked to human IgGlFc (TNFR). Virtually any protein, polypeptide, peptide or small molecule can be linked to Fc to generate an Fc fusion. Fusion partners include, but are not limited to, receptor and extracellular receptor domains, adhesion molecules, ligands, enzymes, cytokines, chemokines or other proteins or protein domains. Fusion partners can also play an important role as chemoattractants. Undiscovered ligands or receptors can serve as fusion partners for the Fc variants of the present invention. Small molecules can serve as fusion partners, which can include any therapeutic agent that directs the Fc fusion to a therapeutic target. Such a target can be any molecule, preferably an extracellular receptor associated with a disease. Two families of surface receptors that are the target of a number of approved small molecule drugs are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ion channels including K +, Na +, Ca + channels. Nearly 70% of all drugs currently sold worldwide target GPCRs. Thus, the Fc variants of the present invention include, for example, one or more GABA receptors, purine receptors, adrenergic receptors, histamine receptors, opioid receptors, chemokine receptors, glutamine receptors, nicotine receptors, 5HT. It may be fused to a small molecule that targets the (serotonin) receptor and the estrogen receptor. A fusion partner may be a small mimetic of a protein that targets a therapeutically useful target. Specific examples of specific drugs that can serve as Fc fusion partners are LS Goodman et al., Eds., Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (McGraw-Hill, New York, ed. 9, 1996, hereby incorporated by reference). As part of the book). Fusion partners include not only known targets of existing drugs, but also small molecules and proteins that bind to orphan receptors that do not yet exist as drug targets. The completion of the Genome and Proteome project has provided the driving force for drug discovery, and these projects have led to the discovery of orphan receptors. There is great potential to develop these new molecules as drug targets and to develop proteins and small molecule therapeutics that target them. Such protein and small molecule therapeutics are contemplated as Fc fusion partners using the Fc variants of the present invention. The Fc fusions of the present invention include, but are not limited to, IgG (including human subclass IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 or IgG4), IgA (including human subclass IgA1 and IgA2), IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM classes of antibodies. Which may not include any immunoglobulin sequences substantially encoded by immunoglobulin genes belonging to any antibody class. Most preferably, the Fc fusion of the invention comprises a sequence belonging to the human IgG class of antibodies. Various linkers, as defined and described below, can be used to covalently link Fc to a fusion partner to generate an Fc fusion.

  The Fc variants of the present invention contain little or no additional polypeptide sequence other than the Fc region and may find use in isolated Fc, which are Fc polypeptides comprising the Fc variants of the present invention. An isolated Fc of the present invention refers to a molecule in which the desired function of the molecule, eg, the desired therapeutic function, is only in the Fc region. Accordingly, an isolated Fc therapeutic target of the present invention is believed to include one or more Fc ligands. An isolated Fc comprising an Fc variant may not require additional covalently linked polypeptide sequences to achieve its desired outcome. In a preferred embodiment, the isolated Fc comprises 90-100% Fc region and little or no “extra” sequence. Thus, for example, an isolated Fc of the invention can include residues C226 or P230 at the carboxyl terminus of human IgG1 (numbering is according to the EU index as in Kabat). In certain embodiments, the isolated Fc of the present invention may contain no extra sequence outside the Fc region. However, it is also contemplated that an isolated Fc cannot contain additional polypeptide sequences. For example, an isolated Fc may include additional polypeptide sequence tags that allow expression, purification, etc. in addition to including an Fc variant Fc region.

  The Fc variants of the present invention may find use in fragments of the Fc region. It is an Fc polypeptide comprising an Fc fragment comprising an Fc variant of the present invention. Clearly, a requirement of the Fc fragment of the present invention is that it contains a position to make an amino acid modification of the Fc variant. The Fc fragments of the present invention may contain 1-90% Fc region, preferably 10-90%, most preferably 30-90%. Thus, for example, an Fc fragment of the invention can comprise an Fc variant IgG1Cγ2 domain, an Fc variant IgG1Cγ2 domain and hinge region, an Fc variant IgG1Cγ3 domain, and the like. In certain embodiments, the Fc fragments of the present invention additionally comprise a fusion partner, effectively making it an Fc fragment fusion. Like isolated Fc, Fc fragments may or may not contain extra polypeptide sequence.

  The Fc variants of the present invention may be substantially encoded by genes from any organism, preferably mammals, including rodents, rabbits and hares including but not limited to humans, mice and rats. Rabbits including, but not limited to, camelids including, but not limited to, camels, llamas and dromedaries Including, but not limited to, humanoids including humanoids and apes, including but not limited to non-human primates. In the most preferred embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention are substantially human. The Fc variants of the present invention may be substantially encoded by immunoglobulin genes belonging to any antibody class. In the most preferred embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention comprise sequences belonging to the IgG class of antibodies, including human subclasses IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4. In an alternative embodiment, the Fc variants of the invention comprise sequences belonging to the IgA (including human subclass IgA1 and IgA2), IgD, IgE, IgG or IgM classes of antibodies. The Fc variants of the present invention may comprise one or more protein chains. That is, the present invention may find use in Fc variants that are monomers or oligomers including homo- or hetero-oligomers.

  In a most preferred embodiment, the Fc polypeptides of the present invention are based on human IgG sequences, and thus use human IgG sequences as “basic” sequences, against which other sequences are compared. It includes sequences from other organisms, such as rodent and primate sequences, as well as sequences from other immunoglobulin classes such as IgA, IgE, IgGD, IgGM. The Fc variants of the present invention are engineered in the context of the parent Fc variant, but those variants are engineered or “imported” into the context of other second parent Fc variants. It is contemplated that it may be. This typically determines "equivalent" or "corresponding" residues based on sequence or structural homology between the sequences of two Fc variants, and the first and second Fc variants By substituting between. In order to establish homology, the amino acid sequence of the first Fc polypeptide outlined herein is directly compared to the second Fc sequence. Inserts required to maintain alignment after aligning sequences using one or more homology alignment programs known in the art (eg, using conserved residues between species) And allows for deletions (ie, avoids removal of conserved residues by any deletions and insertions) and defines residues that are equivalent to a particular amino acid in the primary sequence of the first Fc. The alignment of conserved residues should preferably conserve 100% of such residues. However, alignments of conserved residues higher than 75% or as little as 50% are also suitable for defining equivalent residues. Equivalent residues can also be defined by determining the structural homology of the first and second Fc variants at the tertiary structure level for Fc variants whose tertiary structure has been determined. In this case, equivalent residues are those in which the atomic coordinates (N vs. N, CA vs. CA, C vs. C and O vs. O) of two or more main chain atoms of a particular amino acid residue of the parent or precursor are , Defined as being within 0.13 nm, preferably within 0.1 nm after alignment. Alignment is achieved after the best model is oriented and positioned to obtain the maximum overlap of atomic coordinates of the non-hydrogen protein atoms. Regardless of how the equivalent or corresponding residues are determined, and regardless of the identity of the parent Fc variant that creates the Fc variant, it is contemplated by the present invention that The Fc variant that is found is that it may be engineered into any second parent Fc variant that has significant sequence or structural homology with the Fc variant. Thus, for example, if a parent antibody is to produce a variant antibody that is human IgG1, by using the methods described above or other methods for determining equivalent residues, the variant antibody is converted to a human IgG2 parent antibody, It can be engineered in human IgA parent antibodies, mouse IgG2a or IgG2b parent antibodies and the like. Again, as noted above, the context of the parent Fc variant does not affect the ability to transfer the Fc variants of the invention into other parent Fc variants. For example, a variant antibody engineered in a human IgG1 antibody that targets an epitope may be a human IgG2 antibody that targets a different epitope, or an Fc fusion that includes a human IgG1 Fc region that targets a different epitope, and so on. Can be populated.

  The Fc variants of the present invention may find use in a wide range of products. In certain embodiments, the Fc variants of the present invention are therapeutic agents, diagnostic agents or research reagents, preferably therapeutic agents. Alternatively, the Fc variants of the present invention may be used for agricultural or industrial applications. The antibodies of the present invention may find use in antibody compositions that are monoclonal or polyclonal. The Fc variants of the present invention can be agonists, antagonists, neutralizing, inhibiting or stimulating. In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention are used to kill target cells that have a target antigen, such as cancer cells. In alternative embodiments, the Fc variants of the present invention are used to block, antagonize or agonize a target antigen. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention are used to block, antagonize or agonize a target antigen and kill cells with that target antigen.

Proteins belonging to the target following target list, subunits, domains, motifs and / or virtually any antigen including an epitope but not limited to, may also be targeted by Fc variants of the present invention: 17-IA, 4-1BB 4Dc, 6-keto-PGF1a, 8-iso-PGF2a, 8-oxo-dG, A1 adenosine receptor, A33, ACE, ACE-2, activin, activin A, activin AB, activin B, activin C, activin RIA , Activin RIAALK-2, Activin RIBALK-4, Activin RIIA, Activin RIIB, ADAM, ADAM10, ADAM12, ADAM15, ADAM17 / TACE, ADAM8, ADAM9, ADAMTS, ADAMTS4, ADAMTS5, address AFGF, ALCAM, ALK, ALK-1, ALK-7, alpha-1-antitrypsin, alpha-V / beta-1 antagonist, ANG, Ang, APAF-1, APE, APJ, APP, APRIL, AR, ARC, ART, Artemin, anti-Id, ASPARTIC, atrial natriuretic factor, av / b3 integrin, Axl, b2M, B7-1, B7-2, B7-H, B-lymphocyte stimulating factor (BlyS) ), BACE, BACE-1, Bad, BAFF, BAFF-R, Bag-1, BAK, Bax, BCA-1, BCAM, Bcl, BCMA, BDNF, b-ECGF, bFGF, BID, Bik, BIM, BLC, BL-CAM, BLK, BMP, BMP-2BMP-2a, BMP-3 osteogenin Osteogenin), BMP-4BMP-2b, BMP-5, BMP-6Vgr-1, BMP-7 (OP-1), BMP-8 (BMP-8a, OP-2), BMPR, BMPR-IA (ALK-3) ), BMPR-IB (ALK-6), BRK-2, RPK-1, BMPR-II (BRK-3), BMPs, b-NGF, BOK, bombesin, bone-derived neurotrophic factor, BPDE, BPDE-DNA, BTC, complement factor 3 (C3), C3a, C4, C5, C5a, C10, CA125, CAD-8, calcitonin, cAMP, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carcinoma-associated antigen, cathepsin A, cathepsin B, cathepsin C / DPPI, cathepsin D, cathepsin E, cathepsin H, cathepsin L, cathepsin O, cathepsin S, cathepsin V, cathepsin X / Z / P, BL, CCI, CCK2, CCL, CCL1, CCL11, CCL12, CCL13, CCL14, CCL15, CCL16, CCL17, CCL18, CCL19, CCL2, CCL20, CCL21, CCL22, CCL23, CCL24, CCL25, CCL26, CCL27, CCL28, CCL3 CCL4, CCL5, CCL6, CCL7, CCL8, CCL9 / 10, CCR, CCR1, CCR10, CCR10, CCR2, CCR3, CCR4, CCR5, CCR6, CCR7, CCR8, CCR9, CD1,
CD2, CD3, CD3E, CD4, CD5, CD6, CD7, CD8, CD10, CD11a, CD11b, CD11c, CD13, CD14, CD15, CD16, CD18, CD19, CD20, CD21, CD22, CD23, CD25, CD27L, CD28, CD29, CD30, CD30L, CD32, CD33 (p67 protein), CD34, CD38, CD40, CD40L, CD44, CD45, CD46, CD49a, CD52, CD54, CD55, CD56, CD61, CD64, CD66e, CD74, CD80 (B7- 1) CD89, CD95, CD123, CD137, CD138,
CD140a, CD146, CD147, CD148, CD152, CD164, CEACAM5, CFTR, cGMP, CINC, Clostridium botulinum toxin, Clostridium perfringens toxin, CKb8-1, CLC, CMV, CMVUL, CNTF, CNTN-1, COX, C-Ret, CRG-2, CT-1, CTACK, CTGF, CTLA-4, CX3CL1, CX3CR1, CXCL, CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL3, CXCL4, CXCL5, CXCL6, CXCL7, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, CXCL12, CXCL14 CXCL15, CXCL16, CXCR, CXCR1, CXCR2, CXCR3, CXCR4, CXCR5, CXCR6, cytokeratin tumor associated antigen, DAN, DC , DcR3, DC-SIGN, decay accelerating factor, des (1-3) -IGF-I (brain IGF-1), Dhh, digoxin, DNAM-1, Dnase, Dpp, DPPIV / CD26, Dtk, ECAD, EDA, EDA-A1, EDA-A2, EDAR, EGF, EGFR (ErbB-1), EMA, EMMPRIN, ENA, endothelin receptor, enkephalinase, eNOS, Eot, eotaxin 1, EpCAM, ephrin B2 / EphB4, EPO, ERCC , E-selectin, ET-1, Factor IIa, Factor VII, Factor VIIIc, Factor IX, fibroblast activation protein (FAC), Fas, FcR1, FEN-1, ferritin, FGF, FGF-19, FGF-2 , FGF3, FGF-8, FG R, FGFR-3, Fibrin, FL, FLIP, Flt-3, Flt-4, Follicle stimulating hormone, Fractalkine,
FZD1, FZD2, FZD3, FZD4, FZD5, FZD6, FZD7, FZD8, FZD9, FZD10, G250, Gas6, GCP-2, GCSF, GD2, GD3, GDF, GDF-1, GDF-3 (Vgr-2), GDF -5 (BMP-14, CDMP-1), GDF-6 (BMP-13, CDMP-2), GDF-7 (BMP-12, CDMP-3), GDF-8 (myostatin), GDF-9, GDF -15 (MIC-1), GDNF, GDNF, GFAP, GFRa-1, GFR-alpha1, GFR-alpha2, GFR-alpha3, GITR, glucagon, Glut4, glycoprotein IIb / IIIa (GPIIb / IIIa), GM-CSF, gp130, gp72, GRO, growth hormone releasing factor, hapten NP-cap or NIP-cap), HB-EGF, HCC, HCMVgB envelope glycoprotein, HCMV) gH envelope glycoprotein, HCMVUL, hematopoietic growth factor (HGF), HepBgp120, heparanase,
Her2, Her2 / neu (ErbB-2), Her3 (ErbB-3), Her4 (ErbB-4), herpes simplex virus (HSV) gB glycoprotein, HSVgD glycoprotein, HGFA, high molecular weight melanoma associated antigen (HMW-MAA ), HIVgp120, HIVIIIBgp120V3 loop, HLA, HLA-DR, HM1.24, HMGPEM, HRG, Hrk, human heart myosin, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), human growth hormone (HGH), HVEM, I-309, IAP, ICAM, ICAM-1, ICAM-3, ICE, ICOS, IFNg, Ig, IgA receptor, IgE, IGF, IGF binding protein, IGF-1R, IGFBP, IGF-I, IGF-II, IL, IL-1, IL-1R, IL -2, IL-2R, IL-4, IL-4R, IL-5, IL-5R, IL-6, IL-6R, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13 IL-15, IL-18, IL-18R, IL-23, interferon (INF) -alpha, INF-beta, INF-gamma, inhibin, iNOS, insulin A-chain, insulin B-chain, insulin-like growth factor 1, integrin alpha 2, integrin alpha 3, integrin alpha 4, integrin alpha 4 / beta 1, integrin alpha 4 / beta 7, integrin alpha 5 (alpha V), integrin alpha 5 / beta 1, integrin alpha 5 / beta 3, Integrin alpha 6, integrin beta 1, integrin beta 2, in -Ferron gamma, IP-10, I-TAC, JE, Kallikrein 2, Kallikrein 5, Kallikrein 6, Kallikrein 11, Kallikrein 14, Kallikrein 15, Kallikrein L1, Kallikrein L2, Kallikrein L3, Kallikrein L4, KC, KDR, keratinocytes Growth factor (KGF), laminin 5, LAMP, LAP, LAP (TGF-1), latent TGF-1, latent TGF-1 bp1, LBP, LDGF, LECT2, Lefty,
Lewis-Y antigen, Lewis-Y related antigen, LFA-1, LFA-3, Lfo, LIF, LIGHT, lipoprotein, LIX, LKN, Lptn, L-selectin, LT-a, LT-b, LTB4, LTBP- 1. Alveolar surfactant, luteinizing hormone, lymphotoxin beta receptor, Mac-1, MAdCAM, MAG, MAP2, MARC, MCAM, MCAM, MCK-2, MCP, M-CSF, MDC, Mer, METALLOPROTEASES , MGDF receptor, MGMT, MHC (HLA-DR), MIF, MIG, MIP, MIP-1-alpha, MK, MMAC1, MMP, MMP-1, MMP-10, MMP-11, MMP-12, MMP- 13, MMP-14, MMP-15, MMP-2, MMP-24, MMP-3, MP-7, MMP-8, MMP-9, MPIF, Mpo,
MSK, MSP, mucin (Muc1), MUC18, Mueller tube inhibitor, Mug, MuSK, NAIP, NAP, NCAD, N-cadherin, NCA90, NCAM, NCAM, neprilysin, neurotrophin-3, -4, or -6 , Neuroturin, Neuron Growth Factor (NGF), NGFR, NGF-beta, nNOS, NO, NOS, Npn, NRG-3, NT, NTN, OB, OGG1, OPG, OPN, OSM, OX40L, OX40R, p150, p95, PADPr, parathyroid hormone, PARC, PARP, PBR, PBSF, PCAD, P-cadherin, PCNA, PDGF, PDGF, PDK-1, PECAM, PEM, PF4, PGE, PGF, PGI2, PGJ2, PIN PLA2, placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), PlGF, PLP, PP14, proinsulin, prorelaxin, protein C, PS, PSA, PSCA, prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), PTEN, PTHrp, Ptk, PTN, R51, RANK , RANKL, RANTES, RANTES, relaxin A-chain, relaxin B-chain, renin, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) F, RSVFgp, Ret, rheumatoid factor, RLIP76, RPA2, RSK, S100, SCF / KL, SDF- 1, SERINE, serum albumin, sFRP-3, Shh, SIGIRR, SK-1, SLAM, SLPI, SMAC, SMDF, SMOH, SOD, SPARC, Stat, STEAP, STEAP-II, TACE, TACI TAG-72 (tumor associated glycoprotein-72), TARC, TCA-3, T-cell receptor (eg, T-cell receptor alpha / beta), TdT, TECK, TEM1, TEM5, TEM7, TEM8, TERT, Testicular PLAP-like alkaline phosphatase, TfR, TGF, TGF-alpha, TGF-beta, Pan Specific TGF-beta, TGF-beta RI (ALK-5), TGF-beta RII, TGF-beta RIIb, TGF -Beta RIII, TGF-beta 1, TGF-beta 2, TGF-beta 3, TGF-beta 4, TGF-beta 5, thrombin, thymus Ck-1, thyroid stimulating hormone, Tie, TIMP, TIQ,
Tissue factor, TMEFF2, Tmpo, TMPRSS2, TNF, TNF-alpha, TNF-alphabeta, TNF-beta2, TNFc, TNF-RI, TNF-RII, TNFRSF10A (TRAILR1Apo-2, DR4), TNFRSF10B (TRAILL2DR5, KILLR2DR5, KIL TRICKS-2A, TRICCK-B), TNFRSF10C (TRAILR3DcR1, LIT, TRID), TNFRSF10D (TRAILR4DcR2, TRUNDD), TNFRSF11A (RANKODFFR, TRANCER), TNFRSF11B (OPGOTFR) (BAFFR),
TNFRSF14 (HVEMATAR, HveA, LIGHTTR, TR2), TNFRSF16 (NGFRp75NTR), TNFRSF17 (BCMA), TNFRSF18 (GITRAITR), TNFRSF19 (TROYTAJ, TRADE), TNFRSF19L (TFRSF19L) , P75-80), TNFRSF26 (TNFRH3), TNFRSF3 (LTbRTNFRIII, TNFCR), TNFRSF4 (OX40ACT35, TXGP1R), TNFRSF5 (CD40p50), TNFRSF6 (FasApo-1, APT1) CD27), TNFRSF8 (CD30), TNFRSF9 (4-1BBCD137, ILA), TNFRSF21 (DR6), TNFRSF22 (DcTRAILLR2TNFRH2), TNFRST23 (DcTRAILR1TNFRH1), TNFRS-3 (DRFSR-3) ), TNFSF10 (TRAIL apo-2 ligand, TL2), TNFSF11 (TRANCE / RANK ligand ODF, OPG ligand), TNFSF12 (TWEAK apo-3 ligand, DR3 ligand), TNFSF13 (APRILTALL2), TNFSF1TH (BAFFBLS, TAFSFLB) TNFSF20), TNFSF14 (LIGHTTHVEM ligand, LTg), TN SF15 (TL1A / VEGI), TNFSF18 (GITR ligand AITR ligand, TL6), TNFSF1A (TNF-a connectin, DIF, TNFSF2), TNFSF1B (TNF-bLTa, TNFSF3), TNFSF3 (L33F34) , TXGP1), TNFSF5 (CD40 ligand CD154, gp39, HIGM1, IMD3, TRAP), TNFSF6 (Fas ligand apo-1 ligand, APT1 ligand), TNFSF7 (CD27 ligand CD70), TNFSF8 (CD30 ligand CD153), TNFSB9 (4-NF1) Ligand CD137 ligand), TP-1, t-PA, Tpo, TRAIL, TRAILR, TRAIL-R1, TR AIL-R2, TRANCE, transferrin receptor, TRF, Trk, TROP-2, TSG, TSLP, tumor-associated antigen CA125, Lewis Y-related carbohydrate expressing tumor-associated antigen, TWEAK, TXB2, Ung, uPAR, uPAR- 1, urokinase,
VCAM, VCAM-1, VECAD, VE-cadherin, VE-cadherin-2, VEFGR-1 (flt-1), VEGF, VEGFR, VEGFR-3 (flt-4), VEGI, VIM, viral antigen , VLA, VLA-1, VLA-4, VNR integrin, von Willebrand factor, WIF-1, WNT1, WNT2, WNT2B / 13, WNT3, WNT3A, WNT4, WNT5A, WNT5B, WNT6, WNT7A, WNT7B, WNT8A, WNT8B WNT9A, WNT9A, WNT9B, WNT10A, WNT10B, WNT11, WNT16, XCL1, XCL2, XCR1, XCR1, XEDAR, XIAP, XPD and hormone and growth factor receptors.

  One skilled in the art will appreciate that the above target list represents not only specific proteins and biomolecules, but also biochemical pathways or groups of pathways containing them. For example, referring to CTLA-4 as a target antigen includes CTLA-4, B7-1, B7-2, CD28 and any other undiscovered ligand or receptor that binds to these proteins. It is implied that ligands and receptors that form costimulatory pathways are also targets. Thus, target as used herein represents not only a specific biomolecule, but also a set of proteins that interact with the target and members of the biochemical pathway to which the target belongs. Those skilled in the art further recognize that any of the above-described target antigens, ligands or receptors that bind to them, or other members of their corresponding biochemical pathways may be used to generate Fc fusions of the invention. It can be seen that they can be operably linked. Thus, for example, an Fc fusion targeting EGFR can be constructed by operably linking an Fc variant to EGF, TGFα, or any other previously discovered or undiscovered ligand that binds to EGFR. . Thus, an Fc variant of the invention is operably linked to EGFR to generate an Fc fusion that binds EGF, TGFα, or any other ligand that is found or undiscovered that binds to EGFR. obtain. Thus, virtually any polypeptide includes any of the ligands, receptors or other proteins or protein domains, including but not limited to the proteins that make up the aforementioned targets and their corresponding biochemical pathways. Even so, it can be operably linked to an Fc variant of the invention to develop an Fc fusion.

  Selecting the right target antigen for antibody therapy is a complex process and involves many variables. For anti-cancer treatments, it is desirable to have a target whose expression is limited to cancerous cells. Some targets that have been shown to be particularly amenable to antibody therapy are those with signaling functions. Other therapeutic antibodies exert their effects by blocking receptor signaling by inhibiting the binding of the receptor to its cognate ligand. Another mechanism of action of therapeutic antibodies is to cause receptor down regulation. Many therapeutically effective antibodies work in part by signaling through their target antigens, but this is not always the case. For example, some target classes, such as cell surface glycoforms, do not generate biological signals. However, altered glycoforms are often associated with disease states such as cancer. Another important target type is one that internalizes as a normal function or in response to antibody binding. In the case of targets that are soluble rather than bound to the cell surface, recruitment of effector functions will not result in cell death.

  Some targets that have been shown to be particularly amenable to antibody therapy are those with signaling functions. For example, antibody cross-linking of the Her2 / neu antigen can generate an apoptotic signal that results in the death of cancer cells. In cases such as the CD30 antigen, clustering with this free antibody may be insufficient to cause apoptosis in vitro. In in vitro assays, sufficient clustering can be mediated by cross-linking antibodies or immobilizing to a surface such as a well of a microtiter plate at high density. However, in vivo, this effect can be mediated by binding the antibody to an Fc ligand expressed in nearby cells, such as FcγR. Thus, antibody Fc variants that bind more tightly with Fc ligands can more effectively cluster signaling targets and lead to enhanced apoptosis induction. Such a mechanism may be achieved by adding an antibody that has not been enhanced with Fc ligand binding to a cell that expresses the desired target to signal and / or clustering the Fc receptor and its Fc receptor. Can be experimentally tested by adding the corresponding antibody. Alternative means for clustering Fc receptors include fixation to beads and overexpression in non-effector cell lines. Measuring the relative apoptosis of target-expressing cells after causing apoptosis allows quantitative determination of the effect.

  Antibodies that cause cell death through interaction with their targets may have additional advantages. Signals emitted by such dying cells attract macrophages and other cells of the immune system. These cells can then take up dead or dying cells in an antibody-mediated manner. This has been shown to result in cross-presentation of antigen and the possibility of a host immune response against the target cell. Autoantibodies in response to such antibody therapy have been reported for the antigen targets Her2 and CD20. For this reason, it may be advantageous to specifically stimulate cross-presentation and immune responses rather than unwanted resistance-inducing effects with altered receptor-specific Fc variants.

  Other therapeutic antibodies exert their effects by inhibiting the interaction of the receptor with its cognate ligand and ultimately block receptor signaling. Such antibodies are used for the treatment of many disease states. In this case, it may be advantageous to utilize an antibody that does not recruit the immune function of the host. The secondary effect of such antibodies may be to actually induce signal transduction by itself through receptor clustering. In this case, the desired therapeutic effect that blocks signal transduction can be reversed by antibody-mediated signal transduction. As discussed above, this clustering can be enhanced by the interaction of antibodies with cells containing Fc receptors. In this case, it may be preferable to use an Fc variant that does not bind the Fc receptor too tightly or at all. Such antibodies do not mediate signal transduction, so that their mechanism of action will be limited to blocking receptor / ligand interactions. The signaling receptor for which this is most appropriate is probably a monomeric receptor that can only dimerize with the initial antibody and cannot substantially cluster. Multimeric receptors can be significantly clustered by the initial antibody and there may be no additional clustering due to Fc receptor binding.

  Another potential mechanism of action of therapeutic antibodies is receptor downregulation. Such may be the case for example for insulin-like growth factor receptors. Cell growth relies on continuous signaling through the receptor, but in the absence, the cell stops growing. One effect of an antibody against this receptor is to down regulate its expression, thereby eliminating signal transduction. Recovery of cells from cytotoxic treatment requires stimulation of this receptor. This receptor down-regulation prevents the recovery of these cells and makes cytotoxic treatment more effective. For antibodies where this is the primary mechanism of action, a decrease in Fc receptor binding may prevent sequestration of the antibody by non-target binding to the Fc receptor.

  Many therapeutically effective antibodies work in part by signaling through their target antigen, but this is not always the case. For example, some target classes, such as cell surface glycoforms, do not generate biological signals. However, altered glycoforms are often associated with disease states such as cancer. In other cases, antibody interactions with different epitopes of the same target antigen may give different signaling effects. The Fc polypeptides of the present invention provide a novel mechanism of efficacy for otherwise ineffective molecules, where little or no signal transduction is induced by binding of the antibody or Fc fusion to the target antigen. In particular, it can find utility.

  One approach used in generating therapeutic antibodies against such non-signaling targets is cytotoxicity such as radioisotopes, toxins, or enzymes that process the substrate to produce cytotoxic agents in the vicinity of the tumor. It is to bind an antibody to a substance. As an alternative to cytotoxic moieties, the Fc variants of the present invention may provide increased recruitment of immune function, which is inherently less toxic to the host while still being effective in destroying target cancer cells . Such Fc variants may be effective, for example, by NK cell recruitment or phagocytosis activation or CDC initiation. Alternatively, if a cytotoxic agent is utilized, it may be advantageous to use an Fc variant that results in reduced or altered Fc ligand binding. This may reduce or eliminate the cytotoxic effect of the substance on immune cells expressing Fc receptors, thereby reducing patient toxicity. Furthermore, the reduction of Fc ligand binding can help minimize the generation of an immune response to toxic substances or enzymes. As noted above, cell death can result in recruitment of host immune cells; if the therapeutic antibody has an increased Fc receptor binding affinity or altered receptor specificity in addition to the cytotoxic moiety. Antibody-mediated cross-presentation can increase with immune response rather than immune tolerance in such cases.

  Another important target type is targets that are internalized as a normal role in their biological function or in response to antibody binding. Great efforts have been made to bind such targets to cytotoxic substances such as RNase, lysine and calicheamicin that can only be effective after internalization. For such reagents, binding of the Fc ligand may reduce efficacy due to non-productive sequestration of the therapeutic agent by the Fc ligand. In this case, it may be advantageous to utilize Fc variants that result in reduced Fc ligand affinity. Conversely, pre-association of the antibody with the Fc ligand prior to binding to the target antigen presented to the cell can help to inhibit target internalization. In this case, increased Fc ligand affinity may help to improve prior association and thereby effector cell recruitment and host immune response.

  In the case of a soluble target rather than bound to the cell surface, recruitment of effector functions will not directly result in cell death. However, it may be useful to stimulate the production of host antibodies against that target. For some disease states, successful treatment may require extremely long-term administration of therapeutic antibodies. Such treatment can be extremely costly or cumbersome. In these cases, stimulation of the host immune response and production of antibodies can result in improved efficacy of the therapeutic agent. This may be applicable as an adjuvant for vaccine treatment. Antibody Fc variants that mediate such effects may have increased affinity for Fc ligands or altered Fc ligand specificity.

Numerous antibodies and Fc fusions approved for use in clinical trials or under development may benefit from the Fc variants of the present invention. These antibodies and Fc fusions are referred to herein as “ clinical products and candidates ”. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the Fc polypeptides of the present invention may find use in a wide range of clinical products and candidates. For example, antibodies that target numerous CD20s can benefit from the Fc variants of the present invention. For example, the Fc polypeptides of the present invention may find use in a variety of antibodies or Fc fusions substantially similar to other clinical products and candidates, including but not limited to: ; rituximab is approved chimeric anti-CD20 antibodies for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (Rituxan ^{(R), IDEC / Genentech / Roche)} ( e.g., US5,736,137 reference); Genmab currently being developed by an anti-CD20 HuMax-CD20, anti-CD20 antibody described in US 5,500,362, AME-133 (Applied Molecular Evolution), hA20 (Immunomedics, Inc.), HumaLYM (Intracel) and PRO70769 (PCT / US2003 / 040426, "Immunoglobulin" Applications can be found in antibodies substantially similar to "Variants and Uses Thereof". Numerous antibodies that target members of the epidermal growth factor receptor family, including EGFR (ErbB-1), Her2 / neu (ErbB-2), Her3 (ErbB-3), Her4 (ErbB-4), are disclosed herein. May benefit from other Fc polypeptides. Eg, Fc polypeptides of the present invention, trastuzumab (Herceptin ^(R), Genentech) (e.g., US5,677,171 reference), a humanized anti-Her2 / neu antibody approved to treat breast cancer; currently developed by Genentech has been and pertuzumab (pertuzumab) (rhuMab-2C4, Omnitarg ( ^TM)); US4,753,894 anti-Her2 antibody described in; cetuximab ^(cetuximab) (Erbitux ^{(R), Imclone)} (US4,943,533; PCT WO 96/40210), a chimeric anti-EGFR antibody under investigation for various cancers; ABX-EGF currently developed by Abgenix-Immunex-Amgen (US 6,235,883); HuMax currently developed by Genmab -EGFr (USSN 10 / 172,317); 425, EMD55900, EMD62000 and EMD72000 (Merck KGaA) (US5558864; Murthy et al. 1987, Arch Biochem B iophys. 252 (2): 549-60; Rodeck et al., 1987, J Cell Biochem. 35 (4): 315-20; Kettleborough et al., 1991, Protein Eng. 4 (7): 773-83) ICR62 (Institute of Cancer Research) (PCT WO95 / 20045; Modjtahedi et al., 1993, J. Cell Biophys. 1993, 22 (1-3): 129-46; Modjtahedi et al., 1993, Br J Cancer. 1993, 67 (2): 247-53; Modjtahedi et al, 1996, Br J Cancer, 73 (2): 228-35; Modjtahedi et al, 2003, Int J Cancer, 105 (2): 273-80); TheraCIMhR3 (YM Biosciences, Canada and Centro de Immunologia Molecular, Cuba (US 5,891,996; US 6,506,883; Mateo et al, 1997, Immunotechnology, 3 (1): 71-81); mAb-806 (Ludwig Institue for Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan-Kettering (Jungbluth et al. 2003, Proc Natl Acad Sci US A. 100 (2): 639-44); KSB-102 (KS Biomedix); MR1-1 (IVAX, National Cancer Institute ) (PCT WO0162931A2); and SC100 (Scancell) (PCT WO01) In substantially similar antibodies 88138), it may find use. In another preferred embodiment, Fc polypeptides of the present invention, B- is a humanized monoclonal antibody currently approved for treatment of cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia alemtuzumab (Campath ^(R), Millenium) find use in obtain. Fc polypeptides of the present invention is an anti-CD3 antibody developed by Ortho Biotech / Johnson & Johnson muromonab ^(muromonab) -CD3 (Orthoclone OKT3 ^(R)), an anti-CD20 antibody developed by IDEC / Schering AG there ibritumomab tiuxetan ^(ibritumomab tiuxetan) (Zevalin ^(R)), Celltech / anti CD33 (p67 protein) developed by Wyeth Gentsu ozogamicin is an antibody ^(gemtuzumab ozogamicin) (Mylotarg ^(TM) ), an anti-LFA-3Fc fusion developed by Biogen alefacept ^(alefacept) (Amevive ^(R)), abciximab developed by Centocor / Lilly ^{(ReoPro (R)),} basiliximab developed by Novartis ( Simulect ^(R)), palivizumab (palivizumab developed by MedImmune) ^{(Synagis (Noboru R)),} infliximab which is an anti-TNF alpha antibody developed by Centocor (Remicade ^(R)), adalimumab are anti-TNF alpha antibody developed by Abbott ^(adalimumab) (Humira ^(R)), developed by Celltech an anti-TNF-alpha antibody Humicade ^(TM), Immunex / Amgen is an anti-TNF-alpha Fc fusion developed by etanercept (Enbrel ^(TM)), is an anti-CD147 antibody being developed by Abgenix ABX- CBL, ABX-IL8, an anti-IL8 antibody developed by Abgenix, ABX-MA1, an anti-MUC18 antibody developed by Abgenix, and Pemtumomab (Pemtumomab), an anti-MUC1 developed by Antisoma (R1549, ⁹⁰ Y-muHMFG1), Therex (R1550), an anti-MUC1 antibody developed by Antisoma, by Antisoma AngioMab (AS1405) being developed, HuBC-1 being developed by Antisoma, Thioplatin (AS1407) being developed by Antisoma, Anti-alpha-4-beta-1 (VLA-) being developed by Biogen 4) and the alpha-4-beta-7 antibody Antegren® ⁽ natalizumab), an anti-VLA-1 integrin antibody developed by Biogen, VLA-1 mAb, developed by Biogen Anti-lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTBR) antibody LTBR mAb, anti-TGFβ2 antibody CAT-152 developed by Cambridge Antibody technology, Cambridge Antibody technology and anti-IL-12 antibody developed by Abbott CAT-192, Cambridge Antibody techno, an anti-TGFβ1 antibody developed by J695, Cambridge Antibody technology and Genzyme CAT-213, an anti-eotaxin 1 antibody developed by logy, LymphoStat-B ^(trademark) , an anti-Blys antibody developed by Genome Sciences Inc., Cambridge Antibody technology and Human TRAIL-R1mAb, an anti-TRAIL-R1 antibody developed by Genome Sciences, Inc., Avastin ^™ (bevacizumab, rhuMAb-VEGF), an anti-VEGF antibody developed by Genentech, developed by Genentech Anti-HER receptor family antibodies, anti-tissue factor (ATF), an anti-tissue factor antibody developed by Genentech, Xolair ^™ (Omalizumab ⁾ , an anti-IgE antibody developed by Genentech Raptiva ^™ (Efalizum ⁾ , an anti-CD11a antibody developed by Genentech and Xoma ab)), MLN-02 antibody developed by Genentech and Millenium Pharmaceuticals (formerly LDP-02), anti-CD4 antibody HuMax CD4 developed by Genmab, anti-IL15 antibody developed by Genmab and Amgen HuMax-IL15, developed by Genmab and Medarex, HuMax-Inflam, developed by Genmab and Medarex and Oxford GcoSciences, an anti-heparanase I antibody developed by HuMax-Cancer, Genmab and Amgen, HuMax-Lymphoma , HuMax-TAC developed by Genmab, IDEC-131, an anti-CD40L antibody developed by IDEC Pharmaceuticals, IDEC-151 (Clenoliximab), an anti-CD4 antibody developed by IDEC Pharmaceuticals, IDEC IDEC-114, an anti-CD80 antibody developed by Pharmaceuticals, Anti-CD23 developed by IDEC-152, anti-macrophage migration factor (MIF) antibody developed by IDEC Pharmaceuticals, anti-idiotype antibody developed by Imclone, BEC2 KDR antibody IMC-1C11, anti-flk-1 antibody DC101 developed by Imclone, anti-VE cadherin antibody developed by Imclone, anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) antibody developed by Immunomedics in a CEA-Cide ^(TM) (labetuzumab (labetuzumab)), an anti-CD22 antibody being developed by Immunomedics LymphoCide ^(TM) (epratuzumab (epratuzumab)), AFP-Cide being developed by Immunomedics, developed by Immunomedics MyelomaCide, developed by Immunomedics LkoCide, developed by Immunomedics ProstaCide, Med MDX-010, an anti-CTLA4 antibody developed by arex, MDX-060, an anti-CD30 antibody developed by Medarex, MDX-070, developed by Medarex, MDX-018, developed by Medarex By Osidem ^™ (IDM-1), an anti-Her2 antibody developed by Medarex and Immuno-Designed Molecules, HuMax ^™ -CD4, Medarex and Genmab, an anti-CD4 antibody developed by Medarex and Genmab Developed by HuMax-IL15, an anti-IL15 antibody being developed, CNTO 148, an anti-TNFα antibody developed by Medarex and Centocor / J & J, CNTO 1275, an anti-cytokine antibody developed by Centocor / J & J, and MorphoSys Anti-fibroblasts developed by MOR101 and MOR102, MorphoSys, which are anti-cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) (CD54) antibodies A growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR-3) antibody MOR201, Protein Design Labs by an anti-CD3 antibody being developed Nuvion ^(R) (visilizumab (visilizumab)), anti-gamma being developed by Protein Design Labs Interferon antibody HuZAF ^(trademark) , anti-α5β1 integrin developed by Protein Design Labs, anti-IL-12 developed by Protein Design Labs, anti-Ep-CAM antibody developed by Xoma ING-1 And MLN01, an anti-beta2 integrin antibody developed by Xoma. All cited references are hereby incorporated by reference.

  Application of Fc polypeptides to the aforementioned antibody and Fc fusion clinical products and candidates is not meant to be limited to their composition per se. The Fc polypeptides of the present invention can be incorporated into the clinical candidates and products described above, or into antibodies and Fc fusions substantially similar thereto. The Fc polypeptides of the present invention can be incorporated into variants of the aforementioned clinical candidates and products that have been humanized, affinity maturation, engineered or otherwise modified. Furthermore, it is not necessary to use the above-described clinical products and entire candidate polypeptides to construct new antibodies or Fc fusions that incorporate the Fc polypeptides of the invention; for example, variable clinical products or candidate antibodies Only variable regions of regions, substantially similar variable regions, or humanized, affinity maturation, engineered or modified variants may be used. In other embodiments, the Fc polypeptides of the present invention may find use in antibodies or Fc fusions that bind to the same epitope, antigen, ligand or receptor as one of the aforementioned clinical products and candidates.

  In certain embodiments, the Fc polypeptides of the invention are used to treat autoimmune, inflammatory or transplant indications. Target antigens and clinical products and candidates that are meaningful for such diseases include anti-α4β7 integrin antibodies such as LDP-02, anti-beta2 integrin antibodies such as LDP-01, anti-complements such as 5G1.1 (C5 ) Anti-CD2 antibodies such as antibodies, BTI-322 and MEDI-507, anti-CD3 antibodies such as OKT3 and SMART anti-CD3, anti-CD4 antibodies such as IDEC-151, MDX-CD4 and OKT4A, anti-CD11a antibodies, and anti-IC14 Anti-CD23 antibody such as CD14 antibody, anti-CD18 antibody, IDEC152, anti-CD25 antibody such as Zenapax, anti-CD40L antibody such as 5c8, Antova, IDEC-131, anti-CD64 antibody such as MDX-33, anti-CD80 such as IDEC-114 Antibody, anti-CD147 antibody such as ABX-CBL, anti-CDP850 E-selectin antibody, anti-gpIIb / IIIa antibody such as ReoPro / Abcixima, anti-ICAM-3 antibody such as ICM3, anti-ICE antibody such as VX-740, anti-FcR1 antibody such as MDX-33, anti-IgE such as rhuMab-E25 Antibodies, anti-IL-4 antibodies such as SB-240683, anti-IL-5 antibodies such as SB-240563 and SCH55700, anti-IL-8 antibodies such as ABX-IL8, anti-interferon gamma antibodies, CDP571, CDP870, D2E7, Infliximab, Examples include, but are not limited to, anti-TNF (TNF, TNFα, TNFa, TNF-alpha) antibodies such as MAK-195F, and anti-VLA-4 antibodies such as Antegren.

  The Fc variants of the present invention may be utilized with TNF inhibitor molecules to provide enhanced properties. The effector functions associated with FcγRIIIa are certain TNF-inhibiting molecules used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis that have a high affinity polymorphism (158F: V discussed elsewhere herein). (Z. Tutuncu et al., 2004, "FcR Polymorphisms and Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Inflammatory Arthritis Treated with TNF Blocking Agents", oral presentation on October 18, 2004 at the 2004 ACR Meeting, San Antonio, TX; abstract published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, September 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference. In general, for autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis, combining a TNF inhibitor with one or more Fc variants that result in reduced binding to FcγR compared to the parent Increase effectiveness. Ideally, reduction or even elimination of binding to one or more FcγRs, eg, FcγRIIIa, with a TNF inhibitor molecule will produce the best results.

Useful TNF-inhibiting molecules include any molecule that inhibits the action of mammalian TNF-alpha. The case in point, includes Fc fusion Enbrel ^(R) (etanercept) and antibody Humira ^(TM) (adalimumab (adalimumab)) and Remicade ^(R) (infliximab) is. Monoclonal antibodies (such as Remicade and Humira) engineered using the Fc variants of the present invention to reduce Fc binding can shift to better efficacy. Humira, Remicade and Enbrel effector functions, and even modulation of effector functions, were not considered in the development of these drugs. By using the Fc variants of the invention that reduce binding to one or more FcγRs in the context of antibodies or Fc fusions that affect autoimmune conditions, as compared to currently marketed products, Can increase efficacy. Useful TNF inhibitor molecules preferably include dominant negative TNF molecules (USSN 09 / 798,789 filed March 2, 2000; 09/981 filed October 15, 2001). 289, 10 / 262,630 filed on September 30, 2002; and 10 / 963,994 filed on October 12, 2004, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. And). Dominant negative TNF molecules (DN-TNF) have no intrinsic effector activity and act to “rescue” transmembrane TNF (tmTNF) (ie, killing cells containing tmTNF is rheumatic) Or if it has a negative effect on the outcome of the disease for psoriatic arthritis). DN-TNF molecules associated with Fc variants that reduce or eliminate FcγR binding to the receptor are preferred.

In certain embodiments, the Fc polypeptides of the present invention function therapeutically, in whole or in part, through ADCC activity. Target antigens and clinical products and candidates meaningful such applications, Bexocar, Rituxan ^(R), Zevalin ^(R) and PRO70769 anti-CD20 antibodies such as anti-CD33 antibodies such as SmartM195, etc. LymphoCide ^(TM) Anti-CD22 antibodies, anti-CD30 antibodies such as AC-10 and SGN-30, anti-EGFR antibodies such as ABX-EGF, cetuximab, IMC-C225, Merck Mab 425, anti-EpCAM antibodies such as Crucell's anti-EpCAM, Herceptin and MDX Anti-HER2 antibodies such as -210, and anti-CEA antibodies such as cantumab and Pentacea may be included, but are not limited to these.

In certain embodiments, the Fc polypeptides of the invention function therapeutically, in whole or in part, through CDC activity. Target antigens and clinical products and candidates meaningful such applications, anti-CEA antibodies such as cantumab and Pentacea, Bexocar, Rituxan ^(R), Zevalin ^(R) and anti-CD20 antibodies such as PRO70769, anti Crucell anti-EpCAM antibodies such as EpCAM and Edrecolomab, and Campath ^(R) (alemtuzumab), but anti-CD52 antibodies can be included such as, but not limited thereto.

In certain embodiments, the Fc polypeptides of the invention are directed against antigens expressed in the blood lineage. Target antigens and clinical products and candidates that are meaningful for such applications include anti-CD33 antibodies such as SmartM195, anti-CD40L antibodies such as Antova ^™ , IDEC-131, anti-CD44 antibodies such as Blvatuzumab, Campath ^(registered) ( ^Trademark) anti-CD52 antibody such as (Alemtuzumab), anti-CD80 antibody such as IDEC-114, anti-CTLA-4 antibody such as MDX-101, anti-CD20 such as Bexocar, Rituxan ^{(registered trademark)} , Zevalin ^{(registered trademark)} and PRO70769 antibody, anti-CD22 antibodies such as LymphoCide ^(TM), anti-CD23 antibodies such as IDEC-152, Zenapax ^(R) (daclizumab) anti-CD25 antibody, such as, and apolizumab (apolizumab) anti MHC (HLA-DR) antibodies such as Can be included, but is not limited to these.

In certain embodiments, the Fc polypeptides of the invention are against an antigen expressed in a solid tumor. Target antigens and clinical products and candidates relevant to such applications include anti-EpCAM antibodies such as Crucell's anti-EpCAM and Edrecolomab, anti-CEA antibodies such as cantumab and Pentacea, ABX-EGF, cetuximab, IMC-C225, Anti-EGFR antibodies such as Merck Mab 425, anti-Muc1 antibodies such as BravaRex and TriAb, anti-Her2 antibodies such as Herceptin ^{(registered trademark)} , MDX-210, anti-GD-2 ganglioside antibodies such as 3F8 and TriGem, mitumomab (mitumomab), etc. Anti-GD-3 ganglioside antibodies, anti-PSMA antibodies such as MDX-070, anti-CA125 antibodies such as oregovomab, anti-TAG-72 antibodies such as MDX-220 and anti-MUC-1 antibodies such as cantuzumab Can include, but is not limited to

  In a preferred embodiment, the target of the Fc variant of the invention itself is one or more Fc ligands. The Fc polypeptides of the present invention can be used to modulate immune system activity and in some cases mimic the effects of IVIg therapy in a more controlled, specific and effective manner. IVIg is effectively a high dose of immunoglobulin delivered intravenously. In general, IVIg is used to suppress autoimmune symptoms. The hypothesis has been proposed that the therapeutic mechanism of action of IVIg involves frequent ligation of Fc receptors (J. Bayry et al., 2003, Transfusion Clinique et Biologique 10: 165-169; Binstadt et al. , 2003, J Allergy Clin. Immunol, 697-704). Indeed, animal models of I thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) show that isolated Fc is the active part of IVIg (Samuelsson et al, 2001, Pediatric Research 50 (5), 551). Immunoglobulins are recovered from thousands of donors for use in therapy. This is accompanied by all of the problems associated with non-recombinant biotherapeutic collected from humans. The Fc variants of the present invention should play all of the roles of IVIg and should be produced as a recombinant protein rather than recovered from a donor.

  The immunomodulatory effect of IVIg may depend on productive interactions with one or more Fc ligands, including but not limited to FcγR, complement proteins and FcRn. In some embodiments, an Fc variant of the invention having enhanced FcγRIIb affinity can be used to promote anti-inflammatory activity (Samuelsson et al., 2001, Science 291: 484-486) Or autoimmunity can be reduced (Hogarth, 2002, Current Opinion in Immunology, 14: 798-802). In other embodiments, Fc polypeptides of the present invention with enhanced affinity for one or more FcγRs can be utilized alone or in combination with further modifications to reduce autoimmunity (Hogarth, 2002, Current Opinion in Immunology, 14: 798-802). In an alternative embodiment, competitively interferes with binding to FcγRIIIa using an Fc variant of the present invention having enhanced affinity for FcγRIIIa but reduced capacity for intracellular signaling Can reduce the activity of the immune system. The context of the Fc variant dramatically affects the desired specificity. For example, Fc variants that result in enhanced binding to one or more activated FcγRs act as FcγR antagonists, thereby providing optimal immunomodulation in the context of antibodies, Fc fusions, isolated Fc or Fc fragments. Can have an effect (van Mirre et al., 2004, J. Immunol. 173: 332-339). However, fusions or conjugates of two or more Fc variants can lead to different effects and utilize such Fc polypeptides to provide enhanced affinity for inhibitory receptors for such Fc polypeptides. Can be optimal.

  The Fc variants of the present invention can be used as immunomodulatory therapeutics. Immunological symptoms including, but not limited to, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using binding to or blocking Fc receptors on cells of the immune system Can affect the immune response. By using the Fc variants of the present invention with enhanced affinity, the dosage required for typical IVIg applications can be reduced while obtaining a substantially similar therapeutic effect. Fc variants may result in enhanced binding to FcγR, including but not limited to FcγRIIa, FcγRIIb, FcγRIIIa, FcγRIIIb and / or FcγRI. In particular, enhanced binding to FcγRIIb will increase its receptor expression or inhibitory activity and improve efficacy, if necessary. Alternatively, blocking binding to an activating receptor such as FcγRIIIb or FcγRI may improve efficacy. In addition, modulation of the affinity of Fc variants for FcRn and / or complement may also benefit.

  In certain embodiments, Fc variants that result in enhanced binding to the inhibitory receptor FcγRIIb may result in enhancement to an IVIg therapeutic approach. In particular, Fc variants of the invention that bind to the FcγRIIb receptor with higher affinity than the parent Fc polypeptide may be used. Thus, such Fc variants would function as FcγRIIb agonists and would be expected to enhance the beneficial effects of IVIg as therapeutic agents for autoimmune diseases and also as modulators of B cell proliferation. . In addition, such FcγRIIb-enhanced Fc variants may be further modified to have the same or limited binding to other receptors. In further embodiments, Fc variants with enhanced FcγRIIb affinity may be combined with mutations that reduce or eliminate affinity for other receptors, thereby further reducing side effects when used therapeutically. There is a possibility that it can be minimized.

  Such immunomodulatory applications of the Fc variants of the present invention may also be utilized for the treatment of oncological indications, particularly where the antibody therapy relates to antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity mechanisms. For example, an Fc variant that enhances affinity for FcγRIIb can be used to bind this inhibitory receptor, eg, by binding to an Fc / FcγRIIb binding site but not causing or reducing cellular signaling. May be able to antagonize and enhance the effects of antibody-based anti-cancer treatments. Such Fc variants that function as FcγRIIb antagonists may block the inhibitory properties of FcγRIIb or induce its inhibitory function in the same manner as IVIg. An FcγRIIb antagonist may be used as a co-therapy in combination with any other therapeutic agent, including but not limited to antibodies that act on the basis of ADCC-related cytotoxicity. This type of FcγRIIb antagonistic Fc variant is preferably an isolated Fc or Fc fragment, although in alternative embodiments antibodies and Fc fusions may be used.

Optimized Properties The present invention provides Fc variants that are optimized for a number of therapeutically meaningful properties. Fc variants contain one or more amino acid modifications relative to the parent polypeptide, which amino acid modifications result in one or more optimized properties. An Fc variant of the invention differs in amino acid sequence from its parent Fc polypeptide due to at least one amino acid modification. Accordingly, the Fc variants of the present invention contain at least one amino acid modification compared to the parent. Alternatively, the Fc variants of the present invention have one or more amino acid modifications compared to the parent, eg, about 1 to about 50 amino acid modifications compared to the parent polypeptide, preferably about 1 There may be from about 10 to about 10 amino acid modifications, most preferably from about 1 to about 5 amino acid modifications. Thus, the sequence of the Fc variant and that of the parent Fc polypeptide are substantially homologous. For example, here the variant sequence of the variant Fc has about 80% homology, preferably at least about 90% homology, most preferably at least about 95% homology with the parent Fc variant sequence. .

The Fc variants of the present invention can be optimized for various properties. An Fc variant that has been engineered or predicted to exert one or more optimization properties is referred to herein as an “ optimized Fc variant ”. Properties that can be optimized include, but are not limited to, enhanced or reduced affinity for FcγR. In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variants of the invention are optimized to have enhanced affinity for human activated FcγR, preferably FcγRI, FcγRIIa, FcγRIIc, FcγRIIIa and FcγRIIIb, most preferably FcγRIIIa. In another preferred embodiment, the Fc variant is optimized to have reduced affinity for the human inhibitory receptor FcγRIIb. These preferred embodiments are expected to result in Fc polypeptides with enhanced therapeutic properties, such as enhanced effector function and higher anticancer strength in humans. In another embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention have reduced or eliminated affinity for human FcγR, including but not limited to FcγRI, FcγRIIa, FcγRIIb, FcγRIIc, FcγRIIIa and FcγRIIIb To be optimized. These embodiments are expected to result in Fc polypeptides having enhanced therapeutic properties in humans, such as reduced effector function and reduced toxicity. In other embodiments, the Fc variants of the present invention provide enhanced affinity for one or more FcγRs and further reduced affinity for one or more other FcγRs. For example, the Fc variants of the present invention may have enhanced binding to FcγRIIIa and further reduced binding to FcγRIIb. Alternatively, the Fc variants of the present invention may have enhanced binding to FcγRIIa and FcγRI and further reduced binding to FcγRIIb. In yet another embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention may have enhanced affinity for FcγRIIb and further reduced affinity for one or more activated FcγRs.

  Preferred embodiments include optimization of Fc binding to human FcγR; however, in another embodiment, Fc variants of the present invention include, but are not limited to, rodents and non-human primates. It has an enhanced or reduced affinity for FcγRs from non-human organisms. Fc variants optimized for binding to non-human FcγR may find use in experiments. For example, mouse models are available for various diseases, allowing testing of properties such as efficacy, toxicity and pharmacokinetics of a given drug candidate. As is known in the art, cancer cells can be transplanted or injected into mice to mimic human cancer (a method called xenotransplantation). Testing Fc variants, including Fc variants optimized for one or more mouse FcγRs, can provide valuable information regarding protein potency, its mechanism of action, and the like. The Fc variants of the present invention can also be optimized for enhanced functionality and / or solubility properties in non-glycosylated forms. In a preferred embodiment, the non-glycosylated Fc variants of the present invention bind Fc ligands with higher affinity than the non-glycosylated form of the parent Fc variant. Such Fc ligands include, but are not limited to, FcγRs, C1q, FcRn and Proteins A and G, any supply including, but not limited to, human, mouse, rat, rabbit or monkey, preferably human It may be derived from the source. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the Fc variant is optimized to be more stable and / or soluble than the non-glycosylated form of the parent Fc variant.

  The Fc variants of the present invention may include modifications that modulate interactions with Fc ligands other than FcγR, including but not limited to complement proteins, FcRn and Fc receptor homologs (FcRH). FcRH includes, but is not limited to, FcRH1, FcRH2, FcRH3, FcRH4, FcRH5 and FcRH6 (Davis et al., 2002, Immunol. Reviews 190: 123-136).

  Preferably, the Fc ligand specificity of the Fc variants of the present invention determines its therapeutic utility. The utility of a given Fc variant for therapeutic purposes depends on the form of the epitope or target antigen and the disease or indication being treated. For some targets and indications, enhancement of effector function mediated by FcγR may be preferred. This may be particularly advantageous for anti-cancer Fc variants. Thus, Fc variants can be used, including Fc variants that result in increased affinity for activated FcγR and / or reduced affinity for inhibitory FcγR. For some targets and indications, it may be further beneficial to utilize Fc variants that provide different selectivities for different activated FcγRs; for example, enhanced binding to FcγRIIa and FcγRIIIa is desirable, but FcγRI May not be the case, while enhanced binding to FcγRIIa alone may be preferred. For certain targets and indications, it may be preferable to utilize Fc variants that enhance both FcγR-mediated and complement-mediated effector functions, while either FcγR-mediated or complement-mediated effector functions may be utilized. It may be advantageous to utilize enhancing Fc variants. Some targets or cancer indications include, for example, one or more by knocking out binding to C1q, one or more FcγR, FcRn, or one or more other Fc ligands. It may be advantageous to reduce or eliminate these effector functions. For other targets and indications, it is preferred to utilize Fc variants that have enhanced binding to inhibitory FcγRIIb and further reduced or eliminated binding of WT levels to activated FcγR. Sometimes. This may be particularly useful, for example, when the goal of the Fc variant is inhibition of inflammation or autoimmune disease or some modulation of the immune system.

  Clearly, an important parameter that determines the most beneficial selectivity of a given Fc variant is the context of the Fc variant, ie what type of Fc variant is used. Thus, the Fc ligand selectivity or specificity of a given Fc variant will have different properties depending on whether it constitutes an antibody, Fc fusion or Fc variant bound to a fusion or conjugate partner. Bring. For example, toxins, radioisotopes or other conjugates may be toxic to normal cells if their constituent Fc variants have reduced or eliminated binding to one or more Fc ligands. May be low. As another example, use Fc variants with enhanced affinity for activated FcγRs that bind to these FcγRs and prevent their activation to inhibit inflammation or autoimmune diseases It may be preferable to do so. Conversely, Fc variants comprising two or more Fc regions with enhanced FcγRIIb affinity can bind together these immune cell surface receptors and thereby inhibit the growth of these cells. While an Fc variant may bind its target antigen on a cell type and further bind FcγR to cells away from the target antigen, it is advantageous to bind FcγR to the same cell surface as the target antigen. There may be cases. For example, if an antibody targets an antigen on a cell that also expresses one or more FcγRs, it may be beneficial to utilize an Fc variant that enhances or reduces binding to FcγR on the surface of the cell. It can be. This is the case, for example, when Fc variants are used as anticancer agents and binding the target antigen and FcγR together on the same cell surface causes signaling events in the cell that lead to growth inhibition, apoptosis or other antiproliferative effects May be applicable when promoting with. Alternatively, constraining antigen and FcγR together on the same cell may modulate the immune system in some way using Fc variants, where constraining the target antigen and FcγR together may result in some proliferation or It may be advantageous when providing an antiproliferative effect. Similarly, Fc variants that contain two or more Fc regions may benefit from Fc variants that modulate FcγR selectivity or specificity to bind FcγR together on the same cell surface.

The Fc ligand specificity of the Fc variants of the present invention can be modulated to create a variety of effector function profiles appropriate for a particular target antigen, indication, or patient population. Table 1 lists some preferred embodiments of receptor binding profiles, including improvements, reductions or inefficiencies for binding to various receptors, where such changes may be beneficial in certain contexts. The receptor binding profiles in the table can vary with the degree of increase or decrease for a particular receptor. Further, the identified binding changes can be achieved by, for example, blocking complement activation in combination with removal of binding to C1q, or by increasing complement activation in combination with enhanced binding to C1q, It can also be in the context of further binding changes to other receptors such as C1q or FcRn. Other embodiments using other receptor binding profiles are possible, and the listed receptor binding profiles are exemplary.
Table 1

  The presence of various polymorphic forms of FcγR provides yet another parameter that affects the therapeutic efficacy of the Fc variants of the present invention. The specificity and selectivity of a given Fc variant for different classes of FcγRs significantly affects the ability of the Fc variant to target a given antigen for the treatment of a given disease. The specificity or selectivity of the Fc variant for different polymorphic forms of the receptor determines which study or preclinical experiment is appropriate for the study, and ultimately which patient groups can respond to treatment Or partially responding can be determined. Thus, using the specificity or selectivity of the Fc variants of the present invention for Fc ligand polymorphisms, including but not limited to FcγR, C1q, FcRn and FcRH polymorphisms, reliable investigations and preclinical experiments, trials Other aspects related to planning, patient selection, dosing dependence and / or clinical trials may be guided.

Further Modifications In addition to including the Fc variants of the present invention, the Fc polypeptides of the present invention may include one or more additional modifications. The modification may be an amino acid modification or not an amino acid modification, such as an enzymatic or chemical modification. Combinations of additional amino acids and non-amino acid modifications are contemplated. Such additional modifications probably result in some improvement in the Fc polypeptide, for example, its stability, solubility, function or enhanced clinical use. The present invention contemplates various improvements that can be made by combining the Fc variants of the present invention with further modifications.

  The Fc variants of the present invention include one or more Fc ligands including, but not limited to, FcγR, C1q or other complement proteins, FcRn, FcR homolog (FcRH) and / or undiscovered Fc ligands Can be combined with other amino acid modifications in the Fc region that result in changes or optimized interactions. It is noted that the Fc polypeptides of the present invention themselves may have useful interaction properties that are not yet known with one or more Fc ligands, such as FcRH. Further modifications may result in altered or optimized affinity and / or specificity for the Fc ligand. Further modifications may result in altered or optimized effector functions including but not limited to ADCC, ADCP, CDC and / or serum half-life. Such combinations can result in additive, synergistic or novel properties. In certain embodiments, the Fc variants of the present invention can be combined with known Fc variants (Duncan et al., 1988, Nature 332: 563-564; Lund et al., 1991, J Immunol 147: 2657-2662 Lund et al., 1992, Mol Immunol 29: 53-59; Alegre et al., 1994, Transplantation 57: 1537-1543; Hutchins et al., 1995, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92: 11980-11984; Jefferis et al., 1995, Immunol Lett 44: 111-117; Lund et al., 1995, Faseb J 9: 115-119; Jefferis et al., 1996, Immunol Lett 54: 101-104; Lund et al., 1996, J Immunol 157: 4963-4969; Armor et al., 1999, Eur J Immunol 29: 2613-2624; Idusogie et al., 2000, J Immunol 164: 4178-4184; Reddy et al., 2000, J Immunol 164: 1925-1933; Xu et al., 2000, Cell Immunol 200: 16-26; Idusogie et al., 2001, J Immunol 166: 2571-2575; Shields et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276: 6591-6604; Jefferis et al., 2002, Immunol Lett 82: 57-65; Presta et al., 2002, Biochem Soc Trans 30: 487-490; Hinton et al., 2004, J Biol Chem 279: 6213-6216) (US 5, 624,821; US5, 85,573; US 6,194,551; PCTWO 00/42072; PCT WO 99/58572; US 2004/0002587 A1), US 6,737,056, PCTUS 2004/000643, USSN 10 / 370,749 and PCT / US 2004/005112), all by reference It is a part of this specification. For example, as described in US 6,737,056, PCTUS 2004/000643, USSN 10 / 370,749 and PCT / US 2004/005112, the substitutions S298A, S298D, K326E, K326D, E333A, K334A and P396L are optimized FcγR binding. And / or results in enhanced ADCC. Furthermore, as described in Idusogie et al., 2001, J. Immunology 166: 2571-2572, which is incorporated herein by reference, the substitutions K326W, K326Y and E333S enhance binding to complement protein C1q. And leads to enhancement of CDC. Finally, as described in Hinton et al., 2004, J. Biol. Chem. 279 (8): 6213-6216, which is incorporated herein by reference, the substitutions T250Q, T250E, M428L and M428F are It results in enhanced binding to FcRn and improved pharmacokinetics.

Since the binding sites for FcγR, C1q and FcRn are in the Fc region, differences between IgG in the Fc region probably contribute to differences in effector function mediated by FcγR− and C1q−. For example, modifications can also be made in the Fab and hinge regions of antibodies, or other non-Fc regions of Fc variants, including Fc fusion partners of Fc fusions. For example, as described in USSN 11 / 090,981, which is incorporated herein by reference, the Fab and hinge regions of an antibody are antibody-dependent cell-mediated cell killing (ADCC), antibody-dependent cell-mediated It can affect effector functions such as phagocytosis (ADCP) and complement-dependent cell killing (CDC). Accordingly, modifications outside the Fc region of the Fc variants of the present invention are contemplated. For example, an antibody of the invention can include one or more amino acid modifications in the V _L , C _L , V _H , C _H 1 and / or hinge region of the antibody.

  For example, as described in USSN 60 / 531,752, filed December 22, 2003 entitled “Fc variants with novel Fc receptor binding sites”, other modifications may be made to Fc variants, eg, additional or novel Fc variants. Additional or novel binding determinants such as receptor binding sites can be provided. In certain embodiments, Fc variants of one antibody isotype can be engineered to bind to Fc receptors of different isotypes. This is particularly applicable when the Fc binding sites for each Fc receptor do not overlap significantly. For example, structural determinants of IgA binding to FcγRI can be engineered into IgG Fc variants.

  The Fc variants of the present invention may include modifications that modulate the in vivo pharmacokinetic properties of the Fc variants. These include, but are not limited to, modifications that enhance the affinity for the neonatal Fc receptor FcRn (USSN 10/020354; WO2001US0048432; EP20019997063; US6277375; USSN09 / 933497; WO1997US0003321; ., 2001, J Biol Chem 276 (9): 6591-6604; Zhou et al., 2003, J Mol Biol., 332: 901-913). These further include modifications that alter FcRn affinity in a pH specific manner. In some embodiments where enhanced in vivo half-life is desirable, modifications that specifically enhance FcRn affinity at lower pH (5.5-6) compared to higher pH (7-8) are desirable (Hinton et al ., 2004, J Biol Chem 279 (8): 6213-6216; Dall 'Acqua et al., 2002 J Immuno 169: 5171-5180; Ghetie et al., 1997, Nat Biotechnol 15 (7): 637-640; WO2003US0033037; WO2004US0011213). For example, as described in Hinton et al., 2004, “Engineered Human IgG Antibodies with Longer Serum Half-lives in Primates” J Biol Chem 279 (8): 6213-6216, the substitutions T250Q, T250E, M428L and M428F are FcRn Results in enhanced binding to and improved pharmacokinetics. Further preferred modifications are those that maintain improved binding of wild type Fc at low pH compared to high pH. In alternative embodiments where rapid in vivo clearance is desired, modifications that reduce the affinity for FcRn are preferred (US 6165745; WO 1993 US0003895; EP 1993000910800; WO 1997US0021437; Medesan et al., 1997, J Immunol 158 (5): 2211-2217; Ghetie & Ward, 2000, Annu Rev Immunol 18: 739-766; Martin et al. 2001, Molecular Cell 7: 867-877; Kim et al. 1999, Eur J Immunol 29: 2819-2825). Preferred variants that enhance FcRn are USSN 60 / 627,763 filed Nov. 12, 2004; 60 / 642,886 filed Jan. 11, 2005; filed Feb. 2, 2005. 60 / 649,508; 60 / 662,468 filed March 15, 2005 and 60 / 669,311 filed April 6, 2005 entitled "Fc Variants with Altered Binding to FcRn" All of which are incorporated herein by reference).

  Further modifications can include amino acid modifications that alter residues in the Fc polypeptide to the corresponding residues in the homologous Fc polypeptide. Effector functions such as ADCC, ADCP, CDC and serum half-life are significantly different between different antibody classes such as human IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgA1, IgA2, IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM (reference) Literature-Michaelsen et al., 1992, Molecular Immunology 29 (3): 319-326). Human IgG1 is most commonly used for therapeutic purposes, and the study of manipulations in which variants that exhibit enhanced effector function are constructed has been mainly performed in this context. As described above, corresponding or equivalent residues in Fc polypeptides that have significant sequence or structural homology to each other can be determined. Similarly, for example, as described in USSN 60 / 621,387 filed on 10/21/2004, such methods can be used to engineer further amino acid modifications into Fc polypeptides, resulting in further optimized properties. . In certain embodiments, amino acid modifications can be made that replace one or more residues in an Fc polypeptide of the invention with one or more residues in another homologous Fc polypeptide. In an alternative embodiment, a hybrid Fc polypeptide is constructed such that a region of one or more Fc polypeptides of the invention is replaced with a corresponding region of a homologous Fc polypeptide. For example, several studies have explored IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4 variants to investigate determinants of effector function differences between them. For example, Canfield & Morrison, 1991, J Exp Med 173: 1483-1491; Chappel et al., 1991, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88 (20): 9036-9040; Chappel et al., 1993, J Biol Chem 268: 25124-25131; Tao, Canfield, and Morrison, 1991, J Exp Med 173: 1025-1028; Tao et al., 1993, J Exp Med 178: 661-667; Redpath et al., 1998, Human Immunology, 59, See 720-727.

In certain embodiments, the Fc variants of the present invention comprise one or more engineered glycoforms. An “ engineered glycoform ” as used herein is a carbohydrate composition that is covalently attached to an Fc variant, wherein the carbohydrate composition is chemically different from that of the parent Fc variant. means. Engineered glycoforms can be useful for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to, enhancing or reducing effector function. Engineered glycoforms can be generated by various methods known in the art (Umana et al., 1999, Nat Biotechnol 17: 176-180; Davies et al., 2001, Biotechnol Bioeng 74: 288- 294; Shields et al., 2002, J Biol Chem 277: 26733-26740; Shinkawa et al., 2003, J Biol Chem 278: 3466-3473); (US 6,602,684; USSN 10 / 277,370; USSN 10 / PCTWO00 / 61739A1; PCTWO01 / 29246A1; PCTWO02 / 31140A1; PCTWO02 / 30954A1); (Potelligent ^™ technology [Biowa, Inc., Princeton, NJ]; GlycoMAb ^™ glycosylation engineering technology [GLYCART biotechnology AG, Zurich, Switzerland]). Many of these techniques, for example, by manipulating or otherwise expressing Fc variants in various organisms or cell lines (eg, Lec-13CHO cells or rat hybridoma YB2 / 0 cells), glycosylation pathways. By regulating the enzymes involved in (eg FUT8 [α1,6-fucosyltransferase] and / or β1-4-N-acetylglucosamine transferase III [GnTIII]) or after the Fc variant is expressed Based on controlling the level of fucosylation and / or bisecting oligosaccharides by modifying one or more. Engineered glycoforms typically represent this different carbohydrate or oligosaccharide; thus, an Fc variant, such as an antibody or Fc fusion, may comprise an engineered glycoform. Alternatively, engineered glycoforms may represent Fc variants that contain this different carbohydrate or oligosaccharide.

  The Fc variants of the present invention may contain one or more modifications that result in optimization of properties not specifically related to the effector function itself. The modification may be an amino acid modification or a modification made enzymatically or chemically. Such modifications probably lead to some improvement in the Fc variant, for example its function or enhanced clinical use. The present invention contemplates various improvements that can be made by combining the Fc variants of the present invention with further modifications.

In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention may contain modifications that reduce immunogenicity in humans. In the most preferred embodiment, the immunogenicity of the Fc variants of the present invention is determined by USSN 11 / 004,590, filed December 3, 2004 entitled "Methods of Generating Variant Proteins with Increased Host String Content and Compositions Thereof". Reduction using the method described in. In an alternative embodiment, the antibodies of the invention are humanized (Clark, 2000, Immunol Today 21: 397-402). A “ humanized ” antibody, as used herein, is an antibody that comprises a human framework region (FR) and one or more complementarity determining regions (CDRs) derived from a non-human (usually mouse or rat) antibody. means. Non-human antibodies that provide CDRs are called “donors” and human immunoglobulins that provide the framework are called “acceptors”. Humanization is primarily by transplantation of donor CDRs into acceptor (human) VL and VH frameworks (Winter US 5225539). This strategy is called “CDR transplantation”. “Backmutation” of selected acceptor framework residues to the corresponding donor residues often results in restoring lost affinity in the originally transplanted construct. Required (US5530101; US5585089; US5693761; US5693762; US6180370; US5859205; US5821337; US6054297; US6407213). A humanized antibody optimally also comprises at least a portion of an immunoglobulin constant region, typically that of a human immunoglobulin, and thus typically comprises a human Fc region. Various techniques and methods for humanizing and reforming non-human antibodies are well known in the art (Tsurushita & Vasquez, 2004, Humanization of Monoclonal Antibodies, Molecular Biology of B Cells, 533-545, Elsevier Science (USA ) And references cited therein). Humanization methods include Jones et al., 1986, Nature 321: 522-525; Riechmann et al., 1988; Nature 332: 323-329; Verhoeyen et al., 1988, Science, 239: 1534-1536; Queen et al., 1989, Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA 86: 10029-33; He et al., 1998, J Immunol 160: 1029-1035; Carter et al., 1992, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89: 4285-9 , Presta et al., 1997, Cancer Res 57 (20): 4593-9; Gorman et al., 1991, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88: 4181-4185; O'Connor et al., 1998, Protein Eng 11: The methods described in 321-8 are included, but not limited thereto. Other methods for reducing the immunogenicity of humanized or non-human antibody variable regions, such as described in Roguska et al., 1994, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91: 969-973, include the resurfacing method. Can be included. In certain embodiments, Wu et al., 1999, J. Mol. Biol. 294: 151-162; Baca et al., 1997, J. Biol. Chem. 272 (16): 10678-10684; Rosok et al. , 1996, J. Biol. Chem. 271 (37): 22611-22618; Rader et al., 1998, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95: 8910-8915; Krauss et al., 2003, Protein Engineering 16 (10): 753-759 The antibody variable regions may be humanized and / or affinity matured using selection-based methods, including but not limited to those described in 753. Other humanization methods include those described in USSN 09 / 810,502; Tan et al., 2002, J. Immunol. 169: 1119-1125; De Pascalis et al., 2002, J. Immunol. 169: 3076-3084. Transplanting only a portion of a CDR, including but not limited to methods, may be included. For example, as described in USSN 10 / 153,159 and related applications, structure-based methods may be used for humanization and affinity maturation.

  Modifications that reduce immunogenicity can include modifications that reduce binding of processed peptides derived from the parent sequence to MHC proteins. For example, amino acid modifications are engineered so that there is no or minimal number of immune epitopes that are predicted to bind to any common MHC allele with high affinity. Several methods for identifying MHC binding epitopes in protein sequences are known in the art and can be used to score epitopes of the Fc variants of the present invention. For example, WO 98/52976; WO 02/079232; WO 00/3317; USSN 09 / 903,378; USSN 10 / 039,170; USSN 60 / 222,697; USSN 10/339788; PCT WO02 / 18823; and PCT WO02 / 00165; Mallios, 1999, Bioinformatics 15 : 432-439; Mallios, 2001, Bioinformatics 17: 942-948; Sturniolo et al., 1999, Nature Biotech. 17: 555-561; WO 98/59244; WO 02/069232; WO 02/77187; Marshall et al., 1995 , J. Immunol. 154: 5927-5933; and Hammer et al., 1994, J. Exp. Med. 180: 2353-2358. Using sequence-based information, binding scores can be determined for a given peptide-MHC interaction (eg, Mallios, 1999, Bioinformatics 15: 432-439; Mallios, 2001, Bioinformatics 17: p942-948; Sturniolo et al. al., 1999, Nature Biotech. 17: 555-561). A structure-based method can be used, in which a given peptide is computationally placed in the peptide binding groove of a given MHC molecule and the interaction energy is determined (eg, WO 98/59244 and WO 02 / 069232). Such a method is sometimes referred to as a “threading” method. Alternatively, purely experimental methods can be used; for example, experimentally testing a set of overlapping peptides derived from a protein of interest for the ability to induce T cell activation and / or other aspects of the immune response Yes (see eg WO02 / 77187). In a preferred embodiment, matrix methods are used to calculate MHC binding propensity scores along the protein sequence for each 9-residue frame (Sturniolo et. Al., Supra; Marshall et. Al., 1995, J. Immunol. 154: 5927-5933, and Hammer et. Al., 1994, J. Exp. Med. 180: 2353-2358). Scores can be considered only for a subset of these residues, or the identity of peptide residues before and after the 9-residue frame of interest can be considered. The matrix contains binding scores for specific amino acids that interact with the peptide binding pockets of various human class II MHC molecules. In the most preferred embodiment, the scores in the matrix are those obtained experimentally from peptide binding studies. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the score for a given amino acid binding to a given pocket is determined from an experimentally characterized allele to further alleles with identical or similar residues along that pocket. Extrapolate to genes. A matrix created by extrapolation is called a “virtual matrix”. In alternative embodiments, further amino acid modifications may be manipulated to reduce the propensity for the raw molecule to interact with the B cell receptor and circulating antibodies.

The antibodies and Fc fusions of the invention may contain amino acid modifications that result in optimal properties in one or more regions outside the Fc region, such as, for example, an antibody Fab region or Fc fusion partner. In certain embodiments, the variable regions of antibodies of the invention can be affinity matured. That is, amino acid modifications are made in the _VH and / or _VL domains of the antibody to enhance antibody binding to its target antigen. Similarly, modifications can be made in the Fc fusion partner to enhance the affinity of the Fc fusion for its target antigen. Such type of modification may improve the association and / or dissociation rate for binding to the target antigen. Other modifications include those that improve selectivity for the target antigen relative to another target. These include modifications that improve selectivity for antigens expressed on the target relative to non-target cells. Other improvements to target recognition properties can be brought about by further modifications. Such properties include specific kinetic properties (ie, association and dissociation kinetics), selectivity for a specific target relative to another target, and to a specific form of the target relative to another form. However, the selectivity is not limited to these. Examples include full-length versus splice variants, abnormal forms of antigens expressed only on certain cell types such as tumor cells, cell surface versus soluble forms, selectivity to various polymorphic variants, or targets Selectivity for specific conformational forms of

  The Fc variants of the present invention may include one or more modifications that result in a reduction or enhancement of internalization of the Fc variant. In certain embodiments, the Fc variants of the present invention are utilized or combined with further modifications to reduce cellular internalization of the Fc variant that occurs through interaction with one or more Fc ligands. be able to. This property can be expected to enhance effector function and potentially reduce the immunogenicity of the Fc variants of the present invention. Alternatively, an Fc variant of the Fc variant of the present invention may be used directly or in combination with further modifications to enhance cellular internalization of the Fc variant that occurs through interaction with one or more Fc ligands. Available to: For example, in a preferred embodiment, Fc variants are used that result in enhanced binding to FcγRI expressed in dendritic cells and active early in the immune response. This strategy can be further enhanced by combining with further modifications that facilitate recognition and presentation of Fc peptide fragments by MHC molecules in Fc variants or in bound fusion or conjugate partners. These strategies enhance the processing of the target antigen, thereby improving the antigenicity of the target antigen (Bonnerot and Amigorena, 1999, Immunol Rev. 172: 279-84), acquired immune responses by the human immune system and greater Expected to promote target cell killing. These strategies can be particularly advantageous when the targeted antigen is shed from the cell surface. A further application of these concepts occurs in idiotype vaccine immunotherapy, where patients are vaccinated using clone-specific antibodies produced by the patient's lymphoma cells.

  In preferred embodiments, modifications are made to improve the biophysical properties of the Fc variants of the present invention including, but not limited to, stability, solubility and multimerization state. Modifications include, for example, substitutions that result in a more favorable intracellular interaction with the Fc variant, such as resulting in greater stability, or substitution of exposed nonpolar amino acids with polar amino acids for greater stability. be able to. Numerous optimization goals and methods are described in USSN 10 / 379,392, which may find use in manipulating further modifications to further optimize the Fc variants of the present invention. The Fc variants of the present invention can also be combined with further modifications that reduce the multimerization state or size so that tumor presentation is enhanced or, if desired, the rate of in vivo clearance is increased.

Other modifications to the Fc variants of the present invention include those that allow specific formation of homodimers or homomultimeric molecules. Such modifications include, but are not limited to, engineered disulfides as well as chemical modifications or aggregation methods, which may provide a mechanism for producing covalent homodimers or homomultimers. For example, methods and compositions for manipulating such molecules are described in Kan et al., 2001, J. Immunol., 2001, 166: 1320-1326; Stevenson et al., 2002, Recent Results Cancer Res. 159: 104-12; US 5,681,566; Caron et al., 1992, J Exp Med 176: 1191-1195 and Shopes, 1992, J Immunol 148 (9): 2918-22. Further modifications to the variants of the present invention include those that allow specific formation of heterodimers, heteromultimers, bifunctional and / or multifunctional molecules. Such modifications include, but are not limited to, one or more amino acid substitutions in the C _H 3 domain, where the substitution reduces homodimer formation and increases heterodimer formation. . For example, methods and compositions for manipulating such molecules are described in Atwell et al., 1997, J Mol Biol 270 (1): 26-35 and Carter et al., 2001, J Immunol Methods 248: 7-15. Yes. Further modifications include modifications in the hinge and CH3 domains, where the modification reduces the propensity to form dimers.

  In a further embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention include modifications that remove proteolytic sites. These can include, for example, protease sites that reduce production yields, as well as protease sites that degrade proteins administered in vivo. In a preferred embodiment, further modifications are made to remove covalent degradation sites such as amidolysis (ie, amidolysis of glutaminyl and asparaginyl residues to the corresponding glutamyl and asparatyl residues), oxidation, and proteolytic sites. To do. Particularly useful deamidation sites for removal are those with an enhanced propensity for deamidation, including but not limited to asparaginyl and glutamyl residues (NG and QG motifs, respectively) followed by glycine. In such cases, substitution of either residue can significantly reduce the tendency of amidolysis. Common oxidation sites include methionine and cysteine residues. Other covalent modifications that can be introduced or removed include hydroxylation of proline and lysine, phosphorylation of the hydroxyl group of seryl or threonyl residues, methylation of "-amino groups of lysine, arginine and histidine side chains [TE Creighton, Proteins: Structure and Molecular Properties, WH Freeman & Co., San Francisco, pp. 79-86 (1983)], including acetylation of N-terminal amines and amidation of optional C-terminal carboxyl groups. Post-translational modifications such as, but not limited to, N-linked or O-linked glycosylation and phosphorylation may be included.

  Modifications can include those that improve the yield of expression and / or purification from a host or host cell commonly used in the production of biologic. These include, but are not limited to, various mammalian cell lines (eg CHO), yeast cell lines, bacterial cell lines and plants. Further modifications include modifications that remove or reduce the ability of the heavy chain to form interchain disulfide bonds. Further modifications include modifications that remove or reduce the ability of the heavy chain to form intrachain disulfide bonds.

  Fc variants of the present invention include, for example, Cropp & Shultz, 2004, Trends Genet. 20 (12): 625-30, Anderson et al., 2004, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 101 (2): 7566-71, Zhang et al., 2003, 303 (5656): 371-3, and Chin et al., 2003, Science 301 (5635): By Schultz and collaborators, including but not limited to Modifications can be included, including the use of unnatural amino acids introduced using developed techniques. In some embodiments, these modifications allow manipulation of the various functional, biophysical, immunological, or manufacturing properties discussed above. In further embodiments, these modifications allow further chemical modifications for other purposes. Other modifications are contemplated by the present invention. For example, the Fc variant may be linked to one of a variety of non-proteinaceous polymers such as, for example, polyethylene glycol (PEG), polypropylene glycol, polyoxyalkylenes or copolymers of polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol. Further amino acid modifications may be made to allow specific or non-specific chemical or post-translational modifications of the Fc variant. Such modifications include, but are not limited to, PEGylation and glycosylation. Specific substitutions that can be utilized to enable PEGylation include novel cysteine residues or non-naturally occurring so that efficient and specific coupling chemistry can be used to attach PEG or other polymerizable moieties. Including but not limited to introducing amino acids. Introduction of specific glycosylation sites can be achieved by introducing a novel NXT / S sequence into the Fc variants of the present invention.

  The Fc variants of the present invention may be fused or conjugated to one or more other molecules or polypeptides. Conjugates and fusion partners can be any molecule including small molecule chemical compounds and polypeptides. For example, various antibody conjugates and methods are described in Trail et al., 1999, Curr. Opin. Immunol. 11: 584-588. Possible conjugate partners include cytokines, cytotoxic agents, toxins, radioisotopes, chemotherapeutic agents, anti-angiogenic agents, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and other therapeutically active substances, It is not limited to. In some embodiments, the conjugate partner can be further considered a payload. That is, the goal of the conjugate is to target delivery of the conjugate partner to target cells, such as cancer cells or immune cells, by Fc variants. Thus, for example, conjugating a toxin to an antibody or Fc fusion targets delivery of the toxin to cells expressing the target antigen.

In certain embodiments, the Fc variants of the present invention are fused or conjugated to a cytokine. “ Cytokine ” as used herein means a general term that refers to a protein that is released from a group of cells and acts on another cell as an intercellular mediator. For example, as described in Penichet et al., 2001, J Immunol Methods 248: 91-101, cytokines are fused to antibodies to provide an array of desired properties. Examples of such cytokines are lymphokines, monokines and traditional polypeptide hormones. Growth hormones such as human growth hormone, N-methionyl human growth hormone and bovine growth hormone; parathyroid hormone; thyroxine; insulin; proinsulin; relaxin; prorelaxin; follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and luteinization Glycoprotein hormones such as hormones (LH); hepatocyte growth factor; fibroblast growth factor; prolactin; placental lactogen; tumor necrosis factor-alpha and -beta; Muller tube inhibitor; mouse gonadotropin-related peptide; inhibin; Vascular endothelial growth factor; integrin; thrombopoietin (TPO); nerve growth factor such as NGF-beta; platelet growth factor; transforming growth factor such as TGF-alpha and TGF-beta (TGF) Insulin-like growth factor-I and -II; erythropoietin (EPO); osteoinductive factor; interferons such as interferon-alpha, beta and gamma; macrophage-CSF (M-CSF); granulocyte-macrophage-CSF ( GM-CSF); and colony stimulating factor (CSF) such as granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF); IL-1, IL-1 alpha, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL -6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-11, IL-12, IL-15 such as IL-15; tumor necrosis factor such as TNF-alpha or TNF-beta C5a; and other polypeptide factors including LIF and kit ligand (KL) are included in cytokines The As used herein, the term cytokine includes proteins from natural sources or from recombinant cell culture, and biologically active equivalents of native sequence cytokines.

In another embodiment, the Fc polypeptides of the present invention include small molecule toxins and bacterially active toxins (including fragments and / or variants thereof) of bacterial, fungal, plant or animal origin. To a non-limiting toxin, it is operably linked, conjugated or functional. Small molecule toxins include, but are not limited to, calicheamicin, maytansine (US 5,208,020), trichothene and CC1065. In certain embodiments of the invention, the Fc polypeptide is conjugated to one or more maytansine molecules (eg, from about 1 to about 10 maytansine molecules per antibody molecule). Maytansine can be converted to, for example, May-SS-Me, which is reduced to May-SH3 and reacted with a modified Fc polypeptide (Chari et al., 1992, Cancer Research 52: 127-131) Maytansinoid-antibodies or maytansinoid-Fc fusion conjugates can be generated. Other conjugates of interest include Fc polypeptides, such as antibodies or Fc fusions, linked to one or more calicheamicin molecules. The calicheamicin family of antibiotics has the ability to cause double-strand DNA breakage at sub-picomolar concentrations. Calicheamicin structural analogs that may be used include γ ₁ ¹ , α ₂ ¹ , α ₃ , N-acetyl-γ ₁ ¹ , PSAG, and θ ¹ ₁ (Hinman et al., 1993, Cancer Research 53: 3336 -3342; Lode et al., 1998, Cancer Research 58: 2925-2928) (US 5,714,586; US 5,712,374; US 5,264,586; US 5,773,001). Dolastatin 10 analogs such as auristatin E (AE) and monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) may find use as conjugates for the Fc variants of the present invention (Doronina et al., 2003, Nat Biotechnol 21 (7): 778-84; Francisco et al., 2003 Blood 102 (4): 1458-65). Useful enzymatically active toxins include diphtheria A chain, non-binding active fragment of diphtheria toxin, exotoxin A chain (derived from green bacterium), ricin A chain, abrin A chain, modeccin A chain , Alpha-sarcin, Aleurites fordii protein, dianthin protein, Phytolaca americana protein (PAPI, PAPII and PAP-S), bitter gourd (momordica charantia) inhibitor, Kursin ( curcin, crotin, sapaonaria officinalis inhibitor, gelonin, mitogellin, restrictocin, phenomycin, enomycin and trichothecene However, it is not limited to these. See, for example, PCT WO 93/21232, which is incorporated herein by reference. The present invention further contemplates conjugates between an antibody or Fc fusion of the present invention and a compound having nucleolytic activity (eg, a DNA endonuclease such as ribonuclease or deoxyribonuclease (DNase)).

In an alternative embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention can be fused, conjugated or functionally linked to a radioisotope to form a radioconjugate. A variety of radioactive isotopes are available to produce radioconjugated antibodies and Fc fusions. Examples include, but are not limited to, At ²¹¹ , I ¹³¹ , I ¹²⁵ , Y ⁹⁰ , Re ¹⁸⁶ , Re ¹⁸⁸ , Sm ¹⁵³ , Bi ²¹² , P ³² and Lu. See, for example, the references.

  In yet other embodiments, the Fc variants of the invention can be conjugated to “receptors” (eg, streptavidin) for use in tumor pre-targeting. In that case, the Fc variant-receptor conjugate is administered to the patient followed by removal of unbound conjugate from the circulation using a clearing agent, followed by cytotoxic substances (eg, radioactive A “ligand” (eg, avidin) conjugated to a nucleotide) is administered. In another embodiment, the Fc variant is conjugated or functionally linked to an enzyme for use with antibody-dependent enzyme-mediated prodrug therapy (ADEPT). ADEPT operably links Fc variants to prodrug activating enzymes that convert prodrugs (eg, peptide chemotherapeutic agents, see PCT WO81 / 01145) to active anticancer drugs. Can be used. See, for example, PCT WO 88/07378 and US 4,975,278. Enzyme components of immunoconjugates useful for ADEPT include any enzyme capable of acting on a prodrug in such a way as to convert it to a more active cytotoxic form. Enzymes useful in the methods of the present invention include alkaline phosphatases useful for converting phosphate-containing prodrugs to free drugs; aryl sulfatases useful for converting sulfate-containing prodrugs to free drugs; non-toxic Cytosine deaminase useful for converting 5-fluorocytosine of the above to the anti-cancer drug 5-fluorouracil; proteases such as serratia protease, thermolysin, subtilisin useful for converting peptide-containing prodrugs to free drugs; Carboxypeptidases and cathepsins (such as cathepsins B and L); D-alanyl carboxypeptidases useful for converting prodrugs containing D-amino acid substituents; converting glycosylated prodrugs to free drugs Useful for beta-gala Carbohydrate-cleaving enzymes such as tosidase and neuraminidase; beta-lactamases useful for converting alpha-lactam-derived drugs to free drugs; and derivatives with amine nitrogens by phenoxyacetyl or phenylacetyl groups, respectively Penicillin amidases, such as, but not limited to, penicillin V amidase or penicillin G amidase useful for converting the conjugated drug to the free drug. Alternatively, antibodies with enzymatic activity (also known in the art as “antibody enzymes”) can be used to convert the prodrugs of the invention into free active drugs (eg, Massey, 1987, Nature 328: 457-458). Fc variant-antibody enzyme conjugates can be prepared to deliver antibody enzymes to tumor cell populations. A variety of additional conjugates are contemplated for the Fc variants of the present invention. Various chemotherapeutic agents, anti-angiogenic agents, tyrosine kinase inhibitors and other therapeutic agents are described below and they find use as Fc variant conjugates.

Also contemplated as fusion and conjugate partners are Fc polypeptides. Thus, an Fc variant can be a multimeric Fc polypeptide comprising two or more Fc regions. The advantage of such a molecule is that it provides a single protein molecule with multiple binding sites for Fc receptors. In certain embodiments, the Fc regions may be linked using a chemical engineering approach. For example, Fab and Fc can be linked by a thioether bond provided at a cysteine residue in the hinge to generate a molecule such as FabFc ₂ (Kan et al., 2001, J. Immunol., 2001, 166: 1320- 1326; Stevenson et al., 2002, Recent Results Cancer Res. 159: 104-12; US 5,681,566). The Fc region is a disulfide engineered and / or as described, for example, in Caron et al., 1992, J. Exp. Med. 176: 1191-1195, and Shopes, 1992, J. Immunol. 148 (9): 2918-22. Alternatively, they can be linked using chemical cross-linking. In a preferred embodiment, the Fc regions can be genetically linked. For example, multiple Cγ2 domains are fused between the Fab and Fc regions of an antibody (White et al., 2001, Protein Expression and Purification 21: 446-455). In a preferred embodiment, as described in USSN 60 / 531,752, entitled “Fc components with novel Fc receptor binding sites” filed 12/22/2003, the Fc region in the Fc variant is a vertically linked Fc. It is genetically linked to the region. A vertically linked Fc polypeptide may comprise two or more Fc regions, preferably 1 to 3, most preferably 2 Fc regions. It may be advantageous to explore a number of engineering constructs to obtain homo- or hetero-cascaded Fc variants with the most favorable structural and functional properties. A vertically linked Fc variant may be a homo vertically linked Fc variant, which is a genetically fused Fc variant of one isotype to another Fc variant of the same isotype. It is. It is anticipated that effector function and / or pharmacokinetics may be enhanced because the vertically linked Fc polypeptide has multiple FcγR, C1q and / or FcRn binding sites. In alternative embodiments, Fc variants of different isotypes can be linked vertically. It is called a hetero-longitudinal linked Fc variant. For example, due to the ability to target FcγR and FcαRI receptors, Fc variants that bind to both FcγR and FcαRI can provide significant clinical improvement.

  As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in fact, the concepts and definitions of fusion and conjugate overlap. The design of Fc variants as fusions or conjugates is not intended to be limited to any particular embodiment of the present invention. Rather, these terms indicate that any Fc variant of the present invention is linked to one or more polypeptides or molecules in a genetic, chemical or other manner to provide some desired property. Used roughly to convey the broad concept of getting.

The fusion and conjugate partners can be linked to any region of the Fc variants of the invention, including the N- or C-terminus, or residues between both ends. In a preferred embodiment, the fusion or conjugate partner is linked at the N- or C-terminus, most preferably the N-terminus, of the Fc variant. Various linkers may find use in the present invention to covalently link Fc variants to fusion or conjugate partners, or to generate Fc fusions. "Linker", "linker sequence", "spacer", "tie (tethering) sequence" or grammatical equivalents thereof are herein connected to two molecules and often put two molecules preferred arrangement Means a molecule or group of molecules (such as a monomer or polymer) useful for A number of strategies can be used to covalently link molecules together. These include, but are not limited to, polypeptide linkages between the N- and C-termini of proteins or protein domains, linkages via disulfide bonds, linkages via chemical crosslinkers. In certain aspects of this embodiment, the linker is a peptide bond generated by recombinant techniques or peptide synthesis. The choice of a suitable linker for a particular case in which two polypeptide chains are to be linked depends on various parameters, including the nature of the two polypeptide chains (eg, they spontaneously oligomerize). Or not), if known, includes, but is not limited to, the distance between the N- and C-termini to be ligated and / or the stability of the linker to proteolysis and oxidation. In addition, the linker may contain amino acid residues that provide flexibility. Thus, the linker peptide may predominantly contain the following amino acid residues: Gly, Ser, Ala or Thr. The linker peptides should have an appropriate length to link the two molecules in such a way that they are correctly positioned relative to each other so that they retain the desired activity. Suitable lengths for this purpose include at least 1 and at most 50 amino acid residues. Preferably, the linker is about 1 to 30 amino acids in length, with a length of 1 to 20 amino acids being most preferred. In addition, the amino acid residues selected to be included in the linker peptide should exhibit properties that do not significantly interfere with the activity of the polypeptide. Thus, the entire linker peptide exhibits a charge that is contrary to the activity of the polypeptide, interferes with internal folding, or severely prevents binding of the receptor monomer domain to one or more amino acid residues in the monomer. No bond or other interaction should be formed. Useful linkers include glycine-serine polymers (eg, (GS) n, (GSGGS) n (GGGGGS) n and (GGGS) n, where n is an integer of at least 1), glycine- Other flexible linkers, such as alanine polymers, alanine-serine polymers and shaker-type potassium channel tethers, and a wide variety of other flexible linkers as will be apparent to those skilled in the art are included. A glycine-serine polymer is preferred. This is because both of these amino acids are relatively unstructured and can therefore serve as neutral tethers between components. Second, serine is hydrophilic and can therefore solubilize what can be a globular glycine chain. Third, similar chains have been shown to be effective in linking subunits of recombinant proteins such as single chain antibodies. Suitable linkers can also be identified by screening a database of known three-dimensional structures for naturally occurring motifs that can bridge the gap between two polypeptide chains. In a preferred embodiment, the linker is not immunogenic when administered to a human patient. Thus, the linker can be selected to be hypoimmunogenic or considered to be hypoimmunogenic. For example, a linker that is naturally present in humans can be selected. In a most preferred embodiment, the linker has the sequence of the antibody hinge region, which is the sequence linking the Fab and Fc regions of the antibody; alternatively, the linker is a sequence comprising a portion of the hinge region, or the hinge region of the antibody Has a sequence substantially similar to Another way to obtain a suitable linker is by optimizing a simple linker, such as (Gly4Ser) n, through random mutagenesis. Alternatively, once a suitable polypeptide linker is defined, additional linker polypeptides can be created to select amino acids that interact more optimally with the linked domains. Other types of linkers that can be used in the present invention include artificial polypeptide linkers and inteins. In other embodiments, disulfide bonds are designed to link the two molecules. In other embodiments, the linker is a chemical crosslinker. For example, N-succinimidyl-3- (2-pyridyldithiol) propionate (SPDP), succinimidyl-4- (N-maleimidomethyl) cyclohexane-1-carboxylate, iminothiolane (IT), bifunctional derivatives of imide esters ( Dimethyl adipimidate HCL), active esters (such as disuccinimidyl suberate), aldehydes (such as glutaraldehyde), bis-azide compounds (such as bis (p-azidobenzoyl) hexanediamine), bis-diazonium Derivatives (such as bis- (p-diazoniumbenzoyl) -ethylenediamine), diisocyanates (such as tolyene 2,6-diisocyanate), and bis-active fluorine compounds (such as 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene) ) A variety of bifunctional protein coupling agents can be used without limitation. For example, a ricin immunotoxin can be prepared as described in Vitetta et al., 1971, Science 238: 1098. Chemical linkers may allow isotope chelation. For example, carbon-14-labeled 1-isothiocyanatobenzyl-3-methyldiethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (MX-DTPA) is an exemplary chelating agent for conjugating radionucleotides to antibodies (see PCT WO 94/11026). . The linker may be cleavable and may facilitate the release of the cytotoxic drug in the cell. For example, acid-labile linkers, peptidase-sensitive linkers, dimethyl linkers or disulfide-containing linkers (Chari et al., 1992, Cancer Research 52: 127-131) can be used. Alternatively, various non-proteinaceous polymers, including but not limited to polyethylene glycol (PEG), polypropylene glycol, polyoxyalkylene or copolymers of polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol, can be used to fuse or conjugate partners of the Fc variants of the present invention. Applications may be found as linkers to generate Fc fusions or as linkers that link Fc variants of the invention to conjugates.

Operation method design strategies, computer screening methods and library generation methods are described in USSN 10 / 672,280 and USSN 10 / 822,231 entitled “Optimized Fc Variants and Methods for their Generation”. It is expressly made a part of this specification. These strategies, approaches, techniques and methods are applied individually or in various combinations to generate optimized Fc variants.

Experimental production of Fc variants The present invention provides methods for producing and experimentally testing Fc variants. The described method is not meant to limit the invention to any particular application or theory of operation. Rather, the provided methods are meant to generally illustrate that one or more Fc variants may be experimentally produced and tested to obtain a mutant Fc variant. Fc variants may be produced and screened in any context, such as as an Fc region, domain or fragment thereof, or a large polypeptide comprising Fc, such as an antibody or Fc fusion, as strictly defined herein. . General methods for molecular biology, expression, purification and screening of antibodies are described in Antibody Engineering, edited by Duebel & Kontermann, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, 2001; and Hayhurst & Georgiou, 2001, Curr Opin Chem Biol 5: 683- 689; Maynard & Georgiou, 2000, Annu Rev Biomed Eng 2: 339-76; Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual by Harlow & Lane, New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1988.

In one embodiment of the invention, a nucleic acid encoding an Fc variant is created. It can then be optionally cloned, expressed and assayed into a host cell. In this way, nucleic acids, and in particular DNA, encoding each protein sequence can be made. These practices are performed using well-known techniques. For example, a variety of methods that may find use in the present invention, Molecular Cloning -. A Laboratory Manual , 3 rd Ed (Maniatis, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York, 2001) and Current Protocols in Molecular Biology (John Wiley & Sons )It is described in. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the generation of a library sequence itself containing a large number of sequences is potentially expensive and time consuming. Thus, there are a variety of techniques that can be used to efficiently generate the libraries of the present invention. Such methods that may find use in the present invention are described in US 6,403,312; USSN 09 / 782,004; USSN 09 / 927,790; USSN 10 / 218,102; PCT WO 01/40091; and PCT WO 02/25588 or Has been referenced. Such methods include gene assembly methods, PCR-based methods and methods using PCR variants, ligase chain reaction-based methods, synthetic mixing, error-prone amplification methods and random mutations These include, but are not limited to, pooled oligo methods such as those used in oligo-based methods, classical site-directed mutagenesis methods, cassette mutagenesis, and other amplification and gene synthesis methods. As is known in the art, there are a variety of commercially available kits and methods for gene assembly, mutagenesis, vector subcloning, and the like. Such commercial products find use in the present invention to generate nucleic acids encoding Fc variants.

The Fc variants of the present invention are cultivated under conditions suitable to induce or cause expression of the protein in a host cell transfected with a nucleic acid containing a nucleic acid encoding the Fc variant, preferably an expression vector. Can be produced. The conditions suitable for expression will vary with the choice of the expression vector and the host cell and will be readily ascertainable by one skilled in the art through routine experimentation. A wide variety of suitable host cells can be used, including but not limited to mammalian cells, bacteria, insect cells and yeast. For example, a variety of cell lines that may find use in the present invention are described in available ATCC ^(R) cell line catalog, available from the American Type Culture Collection.

  In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variant is expressed in a mammalian expression system. This includes systems in which expression constructs are introduced into mammalian cells using viruses such as retroviruses or adenoviruses. Any mammalian cell may be used, with human, mouse, rat, hamster and primate cells being particularly preferred. Suitable cells include known but not limited to Jurkat T cells, NIH3T3, CHO, BHK, COS, HEK293, PERC.6, HeLa, Sp2 / 0, NS0 cells and variants thereof. Research cells are also included. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the library proteins are expressed in bacterial cells. Bacterial expression systems are well known in the art and include E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus cremoris and Streptococcus lividans. In another embodiment, the Fc variant is an insect cell (eg, Sf21 / Sf9, Trichoplusia ni Bti-Tn5b1-4) or a yeast cell (eg, S. cerevisiae, Pichia, etc.). Produced in. In another embodiment, the Fc variant is expressed in vitro using a cell-free translation system. In vitro translation systems are available from both prokaryotic (eg, E. coli) and eukaryotic (eg, malt, rabbit reticulocytes) cells, which allow expression levels and functional properties of the protein of interest. You can choose based on. For example, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in vitro translation is required for some display techniques such as, for example, ribosome display. In addition, Fc variants may be produced by chemical synthesis methods. Also, transgenic expression systems for both animals (eg, cows, sheep or goat milk, embryonated chicken eggs, whole insect larvae, etc.) and plants (eg, corn, tobacco, duckweed, etc.).

  Nucleic acids encoding the Fc variants of the present invention can be introduced into an expression vector to express the protein. A variety of expression vectors may be utilized for protein expression. Expression vectors may include self-replicating extrachromosomal vectors that integrate into the host genome. Expression vectors are constructed to be compatible with the host cell type. Thus, expression vectors that find use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, those that allow protein expression in mammalian cells, bacteria, insect cells, yeast and in vitro systems. As is known in the art, a variety of expression vectors are available commercially or by other means that may find use in the present invention for the expression of Fc variants.

Expression vectors typically include proteins operably linked to regulatory or regulatory sequences, selectable markers, optional fusion partners and / or additional elements. “ Operably linked ” means herein that a nucleic acid is in a functional relationship with another nucleic acid sequence. In general, these expression vectors contain transcriptional and translational regulatory nucleic acids operably linked to the nucleic acid encoding the Fc variant, and are typically suitable for host cells used for protein expression. In general, transcriptional and translational regulatory sequences can include promoter sequences, ribosome binding sites, transcriptional start and stop sequences, translational start and stop sequences, and enhancer or activation sequences. As is also known in the art, expression vectors typically contain a selection gene or marker that allows for selection of transfected host cells containing the expression vector. Selection genes are well known in the art and will vary with the host cell used.

The Fc variant may be operably linked to a fusion partner that allows targeting, purification, screening, display, etc. of the expressed protein. The fusion partner may be linked to the Fc variant sequence via a linker sequence. The linker sequence generally contains a small number of amino acids, typically less than 10, although longer linkers may be used. Typically, the linker sequence is selected to be flexible and resistant to degradation. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, any of a wide variety of sequences can be used as the linker. For example, a common linker sequence includes the amino acid sequence GGGGS. A fusion partner can be a targeting or signal sequence that directs the Fc variant and any associated fusion partner to the desired intracellular location or extracellular medium. As is known in the art, certain signal sequences are either secreted into the growth medium, secreted into the periplasmic space, or localized between the inner and outer membranes of the cell. In addition, proteins can be targeted. A fusion partner may be a sequence encoding a peptide or protein that allows purification and / or screening. Such fusion partners include other for use with polyhistidine tags (His-tags) (eg, H ₆ and H ₁₀ or immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) systems (eg, Ni ⁺² affinity columns)). Tag), GST fusion, MBP fusion, strep-tag, BSP biotinylated target sequence of bacterial enzyme BirA, and epitope tags targeted by antibodies (eg c-myc tag, flag-tag, etc.) However, it is not limited to these. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, such tags may be useful for purification, screening or both. For example, an Fc variant can be purified using a His-tag by immobilizing it on a Ni ⁺² affinity column, and after purification, the same His-tag is immobilized on an Ni ⁺² coated plate. Can be used to perform ELISA or other binding assays (as described below). The fusion partner may allow the use of selection methods to screen for Fc variants (see below). Fusion partners are well known in the art and all allow a variety of selection methods that find use in the present invention. For example, phage display can be used by fusing Fc variant library members to gene III proteins (Kay et al., Phage display of peptides and proteins: a laboratory manual, Academic Press, San Diego, CA). , 1996; Lowman et al., 1991, Biochemistry 30: 10832-10838; Smith, 1985, Science 228: 1315-1317). The fusion partner may allow for labeling of the Fc variant. Alternatively, the fusion partner binds to a specific sequence on the expression vector, allowing the fusion partner and associated Fc variants to be covalently or non-covalently linked to the nucleic acid encoding them. For example, USSN 09 / 642,574; USSN 10 / 080,376; USSN 09 / 792,630; USSN 10 / 023,208; USSN 09 / 792,626; USSN 10 / 082,671; USSN 09 / 953,351; USSN 10 / 097,100; UST 60 / 366,658; PCT WO 00/22906; PCT WO 01/49058; PCT WO 02/04852; PCT WO 02/04853; PCT WO 02/08823; PCT WO 01/28702; and PCT WO 02/07466 may find use in the present invention. Such fusion partners and techniques are described.

  Methods for introducing foreign nucleic acid into host cells are well known in the art and will vary with the host cell used. Techniques include dextran mediated transfection, calcium phosphate precipitation, calcium chloride treatment, polybrene mediated transfection, protoplast fusion, electroporation, virus or phage infection, polynucleotide encapsulation in liposomes, and direct DNA nuclei. Including, but not limited to, typical microinjection. In the case of mammalian cells, transfection can be transient or stable.

In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variant is purified or isolated after expression. The protein may be isolated or purified in a variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art. Standard purification methods include chromatographic techniques including ion exchange, hydrophobic interaction, affinity, size or gel filtration, and reverse phase, using systems such as FPLC and HPLC at atmospheric or high pressure. Executed. Purification methods also include electrophoresis, immunology, precipitation, dialysis and isoelectric focusing techniques. Ultrafiltration and diafiltration techniques are also useful along with protein concentration. As is well known in the art, a variety of natural proteins bind to Fc and antibodies, and these proteins may find use in the present invention for Fc variant purification. For example, bacterial proteins A and G bind to the Fc region. Similarly, bacterial protein L binds to the Fab region of some antibodies, and naturally the target antigen of the antibody binds. Purification can often be enabled by specific fusion partners. For example, Fc variants may be fixed with glutathione resin if GST fusion is used, Ni ⁺² affinity chromatography if His-tag is used, or if flag-tag is used. Purified using a modified anti-flag antibody. In general guidance purification techniques suitable, Protein Purification:. Principles and Practice , 3 rd Ed, see Scopes, Springer-Verlag, the NY, 1994. The degree of purification required will vary depending on the screening or use of the Fc variant. In some examples, no purification is necessary. For example, in one embodiment, if the Fc variant is secreted, the screening can be done directly from the culture medium. As is well known in the art, some purification methods do not involve protein purification. Thus, for example, when an Fc variant library is used as a phage display library, protein purification may not be performed.

Experimental Assays Fc variants can be screened using a variety of methods including, but not limited to, in vitro assays, in vivo and cell-based assays, and those using selection techniques. . Automated and high throughput screening techniques may be utilized in the screening procedure. Screening may use a fusion partner or label. Fusion partners are discussed above. “ Labeling ” means herein that an Fc variant of the invention has one or more elements, isotopes or chemical compounds attached to allow detection in screening. . In general, labels fall into three classes: a) immunolabels, which can be epitopes incorporated as fusion partners, recognized by antibodies, b) isotope labels, which are radioactive or heavy Can be isotopes, and c) small molecule labels, which can include fluorescent or colorimetric dyes, or molecules such as biotin that allow other labeling methods. The label can be incorporated into the compound at any location and may be incorporated in vitro or in vivo during protein expression.

In a preferred embodiment, the functional and / or biophysical properties of Fc variants are screened in in vitro assays. In vitro assays can allow for the screening of properties of interest over a wide dynamic range. Properties of Fc variants that can be screened include, but are not limited to, stability, solubility, and affinity for Fc ligands such as FcγR. Multiple properties can be screened simultaneously or individually. The protein may or may not be purified depending on the requirements of the assay. In certain embodiments, the screening is a qualitative or quantitative binding assay of the Fc variant against a protein or non-protein molecule known or thought to bind to the Fc variant. In a preferred embodiment, the screening is a binding assay to measure binding to the target antigen. In another preferred embodiment, the screening for binding of Fc variants to Fc ligands including, but not limited to, the family of FcγRs, neonatal receptor FcRn, complement protein C1q and bacterial proteins A and G. Assay. The Fc ligand may be derived from any organism, preferably human, mouse, rat, rabbit and monkey. Binding assays include FRET (Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer) and BRET (Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer) based assays, AlphaScreen ^™ (Amplified Luminescent Proximity Homogeneous Assay), Scintillation Proximity Assay, ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), SPR (surface plasmon resonance, BIACORE ^(TM) also known as), isothermal titration calorimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, including chromatography including gel electrophoresis and gel filtration It can be implemented using various methods known in the art, including but not limited to these. These and other methods may utilize several Fc variant fusion partners or labels. The assay may use a variety of detection methods including, but not limited to, chromogenic, fluorescent, luminescent or isotope labeling.

  The biophysical properties of Fc variants, such as stability and solubility, can be screened using various methods known in the art. Protein stability can be determined by measuring the thermodynamic equilibrium between the folded and unfolded states. For example, the Fc variants of the present invention can be unfolded using chemical denaturing agents, heat or pH, and this transition can be achieved by circular dichroism spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, absorption spectroscopy, NMR Monitoring can be performed using methods including, but not limited to, spectroscopy, calorimetry, and proteolysis. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the kinetic parameters of the transition to folded and unfolded can also be monitored using these and other techniques. The solubility and overall structural integrity of Fc variants can be measured quantitatively or qualitatively using a wide range of methods known in the art. Methods that may find use in the present invention for characterizing the biophysical properties of Fc variants include gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, capillary electrophoresis, size exclusion chromatography, ion exchange chromatography and Chromatography such as reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, peptide mapping, oligosaccharide mapping, mass spectrometry, ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, analytical ultracentrifugation Includes detection of aggregates by separation, dynamic light scattering, proteolysis and cross-linking, turbidity measurement, filter delay assay, immunological assay, fluorescent dye binding assay, protein staining assay, microscopy and ELISA or other assays It is. Structural analysis using X-ray crystal structure analysis techniques and NMR spectroscopy may also find use. In certain embodiments, stability and / or solubility may be measured by measuring the amount of protein solution after some determined period. In this assay, the protein may or may not be exposed to extreme conditions such as high temperature, low pH or the presence of denaturing agents. Since functions typically require stable, soluble, and / or well folded / structured proteins, the functions and binding assays described below also provide methods for performing such measurements. . For example, a solution containing the Fc variant can be assayed for its ability to bind to the target antigen, then exposed to elevated temperature for one or more defined time periods, and then re-assayed for antigen binding. Since the unfolded aggregated protein is expected to be unable to bind the antigen, the amount of activity remaining provides a measure of the stability and solubility of the Fc variant.

In a preferred embodiment, the library is screened using one or more cell-based, ie in vitro assays. For such assays, purified or unpurified Fc variants are typically added exogenously so that the cells are exposed to individual variants or groups of variants belonging to the library. These assays typically, but not always, bind an antibody or Fc fusion to a target antigen and cause some biochemical event, eg, effector functions such as cell lysis, phagocytosis, ligand / receptor Based on the biology of ability to mediate binding inhibition, growth and / or proliferation inhibition, apoptosis and the like. Such assays often involve, for example, cell activation, cell death, cell phagocytosis, cell lysis, cell shape change, transcriptional activation such as expression of a cell's native or reporter gene, etc. Monitoring the cellular response to the Fc variant. For example, such an assay may measure the ability of an Fc variant to induce ADCC, ADCP or CDC. Some assays may require the addition of target cells plus additional cells or components such as effector cells such as serum complement or peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC), NK cells, macrophages. Such additional cells may be derived from any organism, preferably from humans, mice, rats, rabbits and monkeys. Cross-linked or monomeric antibodies and Fc fusions can cause apoptosis of certain cell lines expressing the target antigen of the antibody, or they can be targeted to target cells by immune cells added to the assay. It can mediate attacks. Methods for monitoring cell death or viability are known in the art and include the use of dyes, fluorophores, immunochemistry, cytochemistry and radioactive reagents. For example, caspase assays or annexin-fluoroconjugates can allow for the measurement of apoptosis, such as uptake or release of radioactive substrates (eg, chromium-51 release assay) or alamar blue Metabolic reduction of fluorescent dyes may allow monitoring of cell growth, proliferation or activation. In a preferred embodiment, using the DELFIA ^(R) EuTDA-based cellular cytotoxicity assay (Perkin Elmer, MA). Alternatively, dead or damaged target cells can be monitored by measuring the release of one or more natural intracellular proteins, such as lactate dehydrogenase. Transcriptional activation can also serve as a method for assaying function in cell-based assays. In this case, the reaction can be monitored by assaying a native gene or protein that can be up- or down-regulated, for example, the release of certain interleukins can be measured, or the readout can also be by luciferase or GFP reporter constructs. Good. Cell-based assays can also include measurement of cell morphological changes in response to the presence of Fc variants. The cell type for such assays can be either prokaryotic or eukaryotic, and various cell lines known in the art can be used. Alternatively, cell-based screening is performed using cells transformed or transfected with nucleic acids encoding Fc variants.

  In vitro assays include binding assays, ADCC, CDC, cytotoxicity, proliferation, peroxide / ozone release, effector cell chemotaxis, inhibition of such assays by antibodies with reduced effector function;> 100x improvement Or including a range of activities, such as a reduction of> 100x, a mix of receptor activations, and the results of the assay expected from such receptor profiles.

Preclinical Experiments and Animal Models The biological properties of the Fc variants of the present invention can be characterized by experiments in cells, tissues and whole organisms. As is known in the art, drugs often measure the efficacy of drugs for treatment of a disease or disease model in animals including but not limited to mice, rats, rabbits, dogs, cats, pigs and monkeys. Or to determine the pharmacokinetics, toxicity and other properties of the drug. Such animals are sometimes referred to as disease models. For the Fc variants of the present invention, particular challenges arise when using animal models to assess the potential for the potency of candidate polypeptides in humans. This means that, at least in part, Fc variants that have a specific effect on affinity for human Fc receptors do not have similar affinity effects on orthologous animal receptors. Due to the fact that there are things. These problems are unavoidable ambiguities associated with the correct assignment of true orthologs (Mechetina et al., Immunogenetics, 2002 54: 463-468) and the fact that some orthologs are simply not present in the animal (Eg, humans have FcγRIIa but mice do not). Therapeutic agents are often tested in mice including, but not limited to, nude mice, SCID mice, xenograft mice and transgenic mice (including knock-in and knock-out). For example, an antibody or Fc fusion of the invention contemplated as an anti-cancer therapeutic can be tested in a mouse cancer model such as, for example, a xenograft mouse. In this method, a tumor or tumor cell line is transplanted or injected into a mouse, and then the mouse is treated with a therapeutic agent to determine the ability of the antibody or Fc fusion to reduce or inhibit cancer growth and metastasis. An alternative approach is the use of a SCID mouse model. There, human-deficient mice were injected with human PBL, and a semi-functional human immune system—along with an array of appropriate human FcγRs—was given to the mice, which were subsequently injected into the human tumor An antibody or Fc polypeptide that targets the cells is injected. In such a model, an Fc polypeptide that targets the desired antigen (such as her2 / neu on SkOV3 ovarian cancer cells) interacts with human PBL in the mouse to ensure oncogenic effector function. Such experimental methods provide meaningful data for determining the potential of the Fc variant to be used as a therapeutic agent. Any organism, preferably a mammal, can be used for the test. For example, because of its genetic similarity to humans, monkeys can be a suitable therapeutic model and can therefore be used to test the efficacy, toxicity, pharmacokinetics or other properties of the antibodies and Fc fusions of the present invention. Drug approval ultimately requires testing of the antibodies and Fc fusions of the present invention in humans, and these experiments are naturally contemplated. Accordingly, the antibodies and Fc fusions of the present invention can be tested in humans to determine their therapeutic efficacy, toxicity, pharmacokinetics and / or other clinical properties.

  The Fc variants of the present invention may provide superior performance to Fc polypeptide therapeutics in animal models or in humans. The receptor binding profile of such Fc variants can be selected as described herein, for example, to increase the strength of a cytotoxic drug or to target a specific effector function or effector cell to select the action of that drug. You can choose to improve sex. In addition, receptor binding profiles can be selected that can reduce some or all effector functions, thereby reducing the side effects or toxicity of such Fc polypeptide drugs. For example, Fc variants with reduced binding to FcγRIIIa, FcγRI and FcγRIIa can be selected to eliminate most cell-mediated effector functions, or Fc variants with reduced binding to C1q Selection may be made to limit body-mediated effector functions. In some contexts, such effector functions are known to have potential toxic effects, so their removal can increase the safety of Fc polypeptide drugs and such improved safety can be Can be characterized by animal models. In some contexts, such effector functions are known to mediate desirable therapeutic effects, and thus their enhancement can increase the activity or strength of Fc polypeptide drugs and improve such activity or strength. Can be characterized in animal models.

  Optimized Fc variants can be tested in various orthotopic tumor models. These clinically meaningful animal models are important for the study of the pathophysiology and treatment of high-grade cancers such as pancreas, prostate and breast cancer. Immunodepleted mice, including but not limited to athymic nude or SCID mice, have a local and systemic tumor score that has spread from the site of intra-organ (eg pancreas, prostate or mammary gland) injection of human tumor cells or donor patient fragments. Often used frequently.

  In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention can be evaluated for efficacy in clinically meaningful animal models of various human diseases. Often, meaningful models include various transgenic animals for a particular tumor antigen. Meaningful transgenic models such as those expressing human Fc receptors (eg, FcγRIIIa, FcγRI, FcγRIIa, FcγRIIb, etc. containing gamma chains) are used to evaluate and test the efficacy of the Fc polypeptides of the invention. obtain. Evaluation of Fc variants by introduction of human genes that directly or indirectly mediate effector function in mice or other rodents has been shown to be physiological in efficacy in tumor toxicity or other diseases such as autoimmune disorders and RA. Can enable research. A human Fc receptor, such as FcγRIIIa, may have a polymorphism such as at position 158 (V or F as described). It further allows specific and combinatorial human polymorphisms to be introduced into rodents. Various studies involving polymorphism-specific FcγRs are not limited to this section, however, encompass all discussions and applications of FcγRs generally identified throughout this application. The Fc variants of the present invention can confer superior activity on Fc polypeptides in such transgenic models. In particular, variants with binding profiles optimized for human FcγRIIIa-mediated activity may exhibit superior activity in transgenic CD16 (FcγRIII) mice. Similar improvements in efficacy in mice that are transgenic for other human Fc receptors such as FcγRIIa, FcγRI, etc. can be observed for Fc variants with binding profiles optimized for each receptor. Mice that are transgenic for multiple human receptors will show improved activity of Fc variants with binding profiles optimized for the corresponding multiple receptors, for example as outlined in Table 1.

  Introduction of a target tumor antigen, such as human CD20, into a rodent B cell in the form of a transgenic animal model can be used to provide a more meaningful assessment of efficacy. Thus, the target antigen need not be limited to a fully human construct, but can be a fusion protein containing the relevant human epitope of the target antigen. In a preferred embodiment, testing of Fc polypeptides can include a transgenic model system. It includes, but is not limited to, a combination of both a human target antigen and a human Fc receptor (eg, CD16 and other related receptors that mediate effector function) to assess efficacy and tumoricidal activity.

  In a preferred embodiment, an Fc polypeptide of the invention that targets a Her2 antigen (eg, a mu4D5 Fc variant or a humanized analog thereof) may be evaluated for efficacy in a clinically meaningful mouse model of breast cancer. . Examples of meaningful models include, but are not limited to: 1) HER2 / neu (neu-N) -transgenic mice, which are derived from the parental FVB / N mouse strain and are proto-oncogene HER2 2) transgenic mice overexpressing human HER2 under the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter (Finkle et al., 2004, Clin Cancer Res. 10 (7): 2499-511). The Fc polypeptides of the present invention that show superior potency in these models probably represent candidates for further development.

  Because of the difficulties and ambiguities associated with using animal models to characterize the potential efficacy of candidate therapeutic antibodies in human patients, some of the variant polypeptides of the present invention have potential human efficacy. Applications can be found as surrogates for evaluation. Such surrogate molecules will preferably mimic the biology of the corresponding candidate human Fc variant FcγR and / or complement in animal systems. This mimicry is most likely represented by the relative association affinity between the specific Fc variant and the animal versus human receptor. For example, if a mouse model is used to assess the potential human efficacy of an Fc variant with enhanced affinity for human FcγRIIIa, a suitable surrogate variant would be mouse FcγRIII-2 (mouse CD16− The affinity for 2) will be enhanced. Alternatively, if a mouse model is used to assess the potential human efficacy of an Fc variant with reduced affinity for the human inhibitory receptor FcγRIIb, an appropriate surrogate variant would be Affinity may have been reduced. It should also be noted that surrogate Fc variants can be created in the context of human Fc variants, animal Fc variants or both.

  In preferred embodiments, testing of Fc variants can include efficacy studies in primates (eg, cynomolgus monkey models) to facilitate assessment of the reduction of specific target cells with the target antigen. Additional primate models include, but are not limited to, those of rhesus monkeys and Fc polypeptides in autoimmunity, transplantation and cancer treatment studies.

  Toxicity studies are performed to determine the effects associated with Fc polypeptides that cannot be assessed with standard pharmacological profiles or that occur only after repeated administration of the substance. Most toxicity studies are conducted in two species, rodents and non-rodents, to ensure that no unexpected adverse effects are overlooked before new therapeutic ingredients are introduced into humans. In general, these models can measure a variety of toxicities including genotoxicity, chronic toxicity, immunogenicity, reproductive / developmental toxicity. Included in the above parameters are food consumption, body weight, antibody formation, standard measurements of clinical chemistry, and macroscopic and microscopic examination of standard organs / tissues (eg cardiotoxicity). Additional measurement parameters, if any, are measurement of injection site trauma and neutralizing antibodies. Traditionally, naked or conjugated monoclonal antibody therapeutics have been evaluated for cross-reactivity with normal tissue, immunogenicity / antibody production, conjugate or linker toxicity, and “bystander” toxicity of radiolabeled species. The Nevertheless, such studies may have to be dealt with individually to address specific interests and to follow the guidance set out by ICH S6 (the biotechnological product safety studies are also listed above). Are listed). Thus, the general principles are to characterize the product sufficiently well, to remove its impurities / contaminants, to ensure that test substances are comparable throughout development, and to comply with GLP regulations.

  The pharmacokinetics (PK) of the Fc variants of the present invention can be tested in a variety of animal systems, most notably non-human primates, such as cynomolgus monkeys, rhesus monkeys. Single or repeated iv / sc administration in the 6000-fold dose range (0.05-300 mg / kg) for half-life (days to weeks) using plasma concentrations and clearance It can be evaluated and the steady state distribution and systemic absorption levels can be measured. Examples of such measurement parameters generally include the maximum observed plasma concentration (Cmax), the time to reach Cmax (Tmax), the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity [AUC ( 0-inf] and apparent elimination half-life (T1 / 2) Additional measurement parameters may include compartmental analysis and bioavailability of concentration-time data obtained after iv administration. Examples of pharmacological / toxicological studies using ER were established for Rituxan and Zevalin, where the monoclonal antibody against CD20 is cross-reactive, biodistribution, dosimetry (for radiolabeled antibodies or Fc fusions), and PK Studies can also be conducted in rodent models, which include tolerance at all doses, local tissue toxicity. , Preferential localization to rodent xenograft animal models, will appreciate depletion of target cells (e.g. CD20 positive cells).

  The Fc variants of the present invention may provide superior pharmacokinetics to Fc polypeptide therapeutics in animal systems or in humans. For example, increased binding to FcRn can increase the half-life and exposure of the Fc polypeptide. Alternatively, reduced binding to FcRn can reduce the half-life and exposure of an Fc polypeptide where reduced exposure is preferred, such as those drugs having side effects.

  It is known in the art that arrays of Fc receptors are differentially expressed in various immune cell types and in different tissues. Different tissue distributions of Fc receptors may ultimately have an impact on the pharmacodynamic (PD) and pharmacokinetic (PK) properties of the Fc variants of the present invention. Since the displayed Fc variants have varying affinities for the Fc receptor array, further screening of the polypeptides for PD and / or PK properties can be performed on the PD, PK and therapeutic efficacy provided by each candidate polypeptide. It can be extremely useful in determining the optimal balance.

  Pharmacodynamic studies may include, but are not limited to, targeting specific tumor cells or blocking signaling mechanisms, measuring target antigen expressing cells or signal depletion, and the like. The Fc variants of the invention target specific effector cell populations, thereby recruiting certain activities to the Fc polypeptide, improving strength, or increasing penetration into specific favorable physiological compartments. obtain. For example, neutrophil activity and localization can be targeted by an Fc variant that preferably targets FcγRIIIb. Such pharmacodynamic effects can be demonstrated in animal models or in humans.

Therapeutic Uses of Fc Variants The Fc variants of the present invention can be used for a variety of therapeutic purposes. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the Fc variants of the present invention may be used for any therapeutic purpose for which antibodies, Fc fusions, etc. may be used. In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variants are administered to a patient to treat diseases including but not limited to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, infections and cancer.

“ Patient ” for the purposes of the present invention includes both humans and other animals, preferably mammals, and most preferably humans. Thus, the Fc variants of the present invention have both human therapeutic and veterinary applications. The term “ treatment ” in the present invention is meant to include therapeutic treatment as well as prophylactic or suppressive measures of a disease or disorder. Thus, for example, successful administration of an Fc variant prior to disease onset results in treatment of the disease. As another example, successful administration of an optimized Fc variant after clinical manifestation of the disease to combat disease symptoms includes treatment of the disease. “Treatment” also includes administering an optimized Fc variant after the appearance of the disease to eradicate the disease. Successful administration of a substance with possible reduction in clinical symptoms and possibly amelioration of the disease after onset and after progression of clinical symptoms includes treatment of the disease. “ Needing treatment ” includes mammals already having the disease or disorder, as well as those prone to having the disease or disorder, and those that should prevent the disease or disorder.

  In certain embodiments, the Fc variants of the present invention are administered to patients with diseases associated with inappropriate protein or other molecule expression. Within the scope of the invention, this is a disease characterized by an abnormal protein, for example due to changes in protein abundance, protein localization, post-translational modification, conformational status, mutations or the presence of pathogenic proteins And is intended to include obstacles. Similarly, a disease or disorder can be characterized by molecular changes, including but not limited to polysaccharides and gangliosides. Excess can be due to any cause including, but not limited to, overexpression at the molecular level, prolonged or accumulated appearance at the site of action, or increased protein activity compared to normal. Included in this definition are diseases and disorders characterized by protein reduction. This reduction is due to any cause including, but not limited to, reduced expression at the molecular level, shortened or reduced appearance at the site of action, mutant forms of the protein, or decreased protein activity compared to normal. It may be a thing. Such protein overload or reduction can be measured relative to the normal expression, appearance or activity of the protein, which can play an important role in the development and / or clinical trials of the Fc variants of the present invention.

As used herein, “ cancer ” and “ cancerous ” refer to or describe the physiological condition in mammals that is typically characterized by unregulated cell growth. Examples of cancer include carcinoma, lymphoma, blastoma, sarcoma (including liposarcoma), neuroendocrine tumors, mesothelioma, Schwannoma, meningioma, adenocarcinoma, melanoma and leukemia or lymphoid malignancy Including, but not limited to.

  More specific examples of such cancers include hematological malignancies, Hodgkin lymphoma; non-Hodgkin lymphoma (Burkitt lymphoma, small lymphocytic / chronic lymphocytic leukemia, mycosis fungoides, mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, Diffuse large cell B lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, ciliary cell leukemia and lymphoplasmatic leukemia), lymphocyte progenitor tumors (B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia / lymphoma and T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia / Lymphomas), thymoma, mature T and NK cell tumors (including peripheral T cell leukemia, adult T cell leukemia / T cell lymphoma and large granular lymphocytic leukemia), Langerhans cell histiocytosis, bone marrow neoplasia (including Acute myeloid leukemia (AML with mature, undifferentiated AML, acute promyelocytic leukemia, acute myelomonocytic leukemia and Acute monocytic leukemia), myelodysplastic syndrome, and chronic myeloproliferative disorders (including chronic myelogenous leukemia)), central nervous system tumors such as glioma, glioblastoma, neuroblast Cytomas, astrocytomas, myeloma, ependymoma and retinoblastoma; head and neck (eg, nasopharyngeal cancer, salivary gland cancer and esophageal cancer), lung (eg, small cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, Adenocarcinoma of the lung and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung), digestive system (eg stomach cancer including gastric cancer or gastrointestinal cancer, cancer of the bile duct or biliary tract, colon cancer, rectal cancer, colorectal cancer and anal carcinoma), Genital system (eg, testicular, penile or prostate cancer, uterus, vagina, vulva, cervix, ovary and endometrial cancer), skin (eg, melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, actinic keratinization) Disease), liver (eg, liver cancer, liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma) , Solid tumors of bone (eg, osteoclastoma and osteolytic bone cancer), additional tissues and organs (eg, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer or kidney cancer, thyroid cancer, breast cancer, peritoneal cancer and Kaposi's sarcoma) And tumors of the vasculature (eg, hemangiosarcomas and hemangioderma).

“ Autoimmune disease ” as used herein refers to allogenic islet graft rejection, alopecia areata, ankylosing spondylitis, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, autoimmune Addison disease, antineutrophil cytoplasm Autoantibodies (ANCA), adrenal autoimmune diseases, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, autoimmune hepatitis, autoimmune myocarditis, autoimmune neutropenia, autoimmune ovitis and testicularitis, autoimmunity Thrombocytopenia, autoimmune urticaria, Behcet's disease, pemphigoid, cardiomyopathy, Castleman syndrome, celiac spruce dermatitis, chronic fatigue immunodeficiency syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, Churg-Strauss syndrome, scarring pemphigus, CREST syndrome, cold agglutinin disease, Crohn's disease, dermatomyositis, discoid lupus, essential mixed cryoglobulinemia, Factor VIII deficiency, fibromyalgia-fibromyositis, glomerulonephritis, Graves' disease, Guillain-Barre, Goodpasture syndrome, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), Hashimoto's thyroiditis, hemophilia A, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), IgA neuropathy, IgM polyneuropathy, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, juvenile arthritis, Kawasaki disease, lichen planus, lupus erythematosus, Meniere's disease, mixed connective tissue disease, Multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, myasthenia gravis, pemphigus vulgaris, pernicious anemia, polyarteritis nodosa, polychondritis, polyglandular syndromes, polymyalgia rheumatica Disease, polymyositis and dermatomyositis, primary agammaglobulinemia, primary biliary cirrhosis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Raynaud's phenomenon, Reiter syndrome, rheumatoid joint , Sarcoidosis, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, solid organ transplant rejection, systemic stiffness syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, Takayasu arteritis, temporal arteritis / giant cell arteritis, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, ulcerative colon Inflammation, uveitis, vasculitis such as herpes zoster vasculitis, leukoplakia, and Wegner granulomatosis.

"Inflammatory disorders" as used herein, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute septic arthritis, allergic encephalomyelitis, allergic rhinitis, allergic vasculitis, allergy, asthma, atherosclerosis, Chronic inflammation due to chronic bacterial or viral infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary artery disease, encephalitis, inflammatory bowel disease, inflammation associated with osteolysis, acute and delayed hypersensitivity reaction, tumor associated with tumor, peripheral Nerve injury or demyelinating disease, inflammation associated with tissue trauma such as burns and ischemia, inflammation due to meningitis, multiple organ injury syndrome, pulmonary fibrosis, sepsis and septic shock, Stevens Johnson Syndrome, undifferentiated arthropathy and undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy.

  “Infectious diseases” as used herein includes diseases caused by pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and parasites. Infectious diseases include adenovirus, cytomegalovirus, proboscis fever, Epstein Barr, Hunter, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, herpes simplex type 1, herpes simplex type 2, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) , Viruses including human papillomavirus (HPV), influenza, measles, mumps, papova virus, polio, respiratory syncytial virus, rinderpest, rhinovirus, rotavirus, rubella, SARS virus, smallpox, viral meningitis, etc. Can be attributed to Infectious diseases include Bacillus antracis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Campylobacter jejuni, Chlamydia trachomatis, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium tetani, and Clostridium tetani (Diptheria), E. coli, Legionella, Helicobacter pylori, Mycobacterium rickettsia, Mycoplasma nesisseria, Pertussis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa S. pneumoniae (S) pneumonia), Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Vibria cholerae, Yersinia pestis, and other bacteria. Infectious diseases include Aspergillus fumigatus, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Candida albicans, Coccidioides immitis, Cryptococcus neo occus neo octo It can also be attributed to fungi such as Histoplasma capsulatum and Penicillium marneffei. Infectious diseases can also be attributed to protozoa and parasites such as Chlamydia, kokzidioa, Leishmania, malaria, rickettsia, trypanosomes.

  In addition, the Fc variants of the present invention may be used to treat cardiac conditions such as congestive heart failure (CHF), myocarditis and other symptoms of the myocardium; skin conditions such as rosacea, acne and eczema; Bone loss, osteoporosis, Paget's disease, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, periodontal disease, disuse osteopenia, osteomalacia, single-fibrous osteodysplasia, multifibrous fibroblastic dysplasia Dysplasia, bone metastasis, management of bone pain, humoral malignant hypercalcemia, periodontal reconstruction, spinal cord injury and fracture; metabolic symptoms such as Gaucher disease; endocrine symptoms such as Cushing syndrome; and nerves Can be used for the prevention or treatment of additional symptoms, including but not limited to.

Formulations, Administration and Modes of Administration Pharmaceutical compositions are contemplated wherein the Fc variants of the present invention and one or more therapeutically active agents are formulated. The preparation of the Fc variant of the present invention can be obtained by combining the Fc variant with the desired purity with any pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, excipient or stabilizer (Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences 16th edition, Osol, A. Ed , 1980) and prepared for storage in the form of a lyophilized formulation or an aqueous solution. Acceptable carriers, excipients or stabilizers are non-toxic to recipients at the dosages and concentrations used, and buffering agents such as phosphates, citrates, acetates and other organic acids; antioxidants including ascorbic acid and methionine Preservatives (octadecyldimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride; hexamethonium chloride; benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride; phenol, butyl or benzyl alcohol; alkyl parabens such as methyl or propylparaben; catechol; resorcinol; cyclohexanol 3-pentanol; and m-cresol); low molecular weight (less than about 10 residues) polypeptide; proteins such as serum albumin, gelatin or immunoglobulin; hydrophilic polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone; Amino acids such as lysine, glutamine, asparagine, histidine, arginine or lysine; monosaccharides, disaccharides and other carbohydrates including glucose, mannose or dextrin; chelating agents such as EDTA; sugars such as sucrose, mannitol, trehalose or sorbitol Sweeteners and other flavorings; bulking agents such as microcrystalline cellulose, lactose, corn and other starches; binders; additives; colorants; salt-forming counterions such as sodium; metal complexes (eg, Zn-proteins) Complexes); and / or non-ionic surfactants such as TWEEN ^™ , PLURONICS ^™ or polyethylene glycol (PEG). In a preferred embodiment, the pharmaceutical composition comprising the Fc variant of the present invention is present in a water-soluble form, such as present as a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, which is meant to include both acid and base addition salts. It can be. “Pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt” refers to a salt that is biologically or otherwise inconvenient that retains the biological effectiveness of the free base, and includes hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid. , Inorganic acids such as phosphoric acid, and acetic acid, propionic acid, glycolic acid, pyruvic acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, mandelic acid, methanesulfone It is formed with organic acids, such as an acid, ethanesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, salicylic acid. “Pharmaceutically acceptable base addition salts” include those derived from inorganic bases, such as sodium, potassium, lithium, ammonium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, aluminum salts and the like. Particularly preferred are the ammonium, potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium salts. Salts derived from pharmaceutically acceptable organic non-toxic bases include primary, secondary and tertiary amines such as isopropylamine, trimethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, tripropylamine and ethanolamine, Substituted amines, including naturally occurring substituted amines, cyclic amines and basic ion exchange resins are included. The formulation used for in vivo administration is preferably sterile. This is easily accomplished by filtration through sterile filtration membranes or other methods.

  The Fc variants disclosed herein can also be formulated as immunoliposomes. Liposomes are vesicles containing various types of lipids, phospholipids and / or surfactants that are useful for delivering therapeutic substances to mammals. Liposomes containing Fc variants are Epstein et al., 1985, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 82: 3688; Hwang et al., 1980, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 77: 4030; US 4,485,045; US 4,544,545; Produced by methods known in the art, such as described in PCT WO 97/38731. Liposomes with extended circulation time are disclosed in US 5,013,556. The components of the liposome are generally arranged in a bilayer form, similar to the lipid arrangement of biological membranes. Particularly useful liposomes can be generated by the reverse phase evaporation method with a lipid composition comprising phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and PEG-derived phosphatidylethanolamine (PEG-PE). To obtain liposomes having the desired diameter, the liposomes are extruded through a filter with a predetermined pore size. Chemotherapeutic agents or other therapeutically active substances are optionally included in the liposomes (Gabizon et al., 1989, J National Cancer Inst 81: 1484).

Fc variants and other therapeutically active substances include coacervation techniques, interfacial polymerization (eg, using hydroxymethylcellulose or gelatin-microcapsules, or poly- (methylmethacylate) microcapsules) , Colloidal drug delivery systems (eg, liposomes, albumin microspheres, microemulsions, nano-particles and nanocapsules) and microcapsules prepared by methods including but not limited to macroemulsions. Such techniques are disclosed in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences 16th edition, Osol, A. Ed., 1980. Sustained release formulations may be prepared. Examples of suitable sustained release formulations include semipermeable matrices of solid hydrophobic polymers, which are in the form of shaped articles such as films or microcapsules, for example. Examples of sustained release matrices include polyesters, hydrogels (eg, poly (2-hydroxyethyl-methacrylate) or poly (vinyl alcohol)), polylactic acid (US 3,773,919), L-glutamic acid and gamma ethyl-L -Degradable such as glutamate copolymer, non-degradable ethylene-vinyl acetate, LUPRON DEPOT® ⁽ this is an injectable microsphere composed of lactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer and leuprolide acetate) Lactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer, poly-D-(−)-3-hydroxybutyric acid and ProLease® ⁽ sold by Alkermes) (this is a matrix of poly-DL-lactide-co-glycolide (PLG)) Micros composed of desired bioactive molecules incorporated in Eabesu a delivery systems) are included.

  Administration of a pharmaceutical composition comprising an Fc variant of the present invention, preferably in the form of a sterile aqueous solution, can be oral, subcutaneous, intravenous, intranasal, intraotically, transdermal, topical (eg, gel, salve, Lotions, creams, etc.), intraperitoneal, intramuscular, intrapulmonary, intravaginal, parenteral, rectal or intraocular. In some examples, the Fc variant may be applied directly as a solution or spray, for example for the treatment of wounds, inflammation and the like. As is known in the art, the pharmaceutical composition may be formulated accordingly depending on the mode of introduction.

  In some situations, subcutaneous administration may be preferred because the patient can administer the pharmaceutical composition himself. Many protein therapeutics are not powerful enough to allow formulation of a therapeutically effective dose within the maximum amount allowed for subcutaneous administration. This problem can be addressed in part by the use of protein formulations containing arginine-HCl, histidine and polysorbate (see WO 04091658). The Fc polypeptides of the invention are easier to administer subcutaneously, eg, to increase strength, improve serum half-life or enhance solubility.

  As is known in the art, protein therapeutics can often be delivered by IV infusion or bolus. The Fc variants of the present invention can also be delivered using such methods. For example, administration can be intravenous by intravenous infusion using sodium chloride as the infusion medium.

Pulmonary delivery can be achieved using a formulation comprising an inhaler or nebulizer and an aerosolizing agent. For example, for example, AERx can be purchased from Aradigm ^{(registered trademark)} may be used inhalation techniques or may be purchased from Nektar Therapeutics Inhance ^(TM) pulmonary delivery system. The Fc variants of the present invention will be easier to deliver intrapulmonary. FcRn is present in the lung and can promote movement from the lung to the bloodstream (eg, Syntonix WO 04004798, Bitonti et.al. (2004) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 101: 9763-8). Thus, an antibody or Fc fusion that binds to FcRn more efficiently in the lung or is released more efficiently by the bloodstream may have improved bioavailability after intrapulmonary administration. The Fc variants of the present invention may be easier to administer pulmonary, for example, to improve solubility or change the isoelectric point.

  Furthermore, the Fc polypeptides of the invention will be easier to deliver orally, for example due to improved stability at gastric pH and increased resistance to proteolysis. Furthermore, since FcRn appears to be expressed in adult intestinal epithelium (Dickinson et al., 1999, J Clin Invest 104: 903-11), the Fc polypeptides of the present invention with improved FcRn interaction profiles, For example, antibodies or Fc fusions may exhibit enhanced bioavailability after oral administration. FcRn-mediated transport of Fc variants can also occur in other mucosa, such as those of the gastrointestinal tract, airways and reproductive organs (Yoshida et al., 2004, Immunity 20: 769-83).

In addition, any of a number of delivery systems known in the art may be used to administer the Fc variants of the present invention. Examples include, but are not limited to, encapsulation in liposomes, microparticles, microspheres (eg, PLA / PGA microspheres) and the like. Alternatively, porous, non-porous or gelatinous material implants comprising membranes or fibers may be used. Sustained release systems include polyesters, hydrogels, poly (vinyl alcohol), polylactic acid, copolymers of L- glutamic acid and ethyl -L- glutamic acid, ethylene - vinyl acetate, lactic - glycolic acid copolymers such as LUPRON DEPOT ^(TM), and It may comprise a polymerizable material or matrix such as poly-D-(-)-3-hydroxybutyric acid. Nucleic acids encoding the Fc variants of the present invention can also be administered, for example, by retroviral infection, direct injection, or lipid coating, cell surface receptors, or other transfection agents. In all cases, a controlled release system may be used to release the Fc variant at or near the desired site of action.

  Dosage amount and frequency of administration are, in preferred embodiments, selected to be therapeutically or prophylactically effective. As known in the art, the rate of proteolysis, systemic versus local delivery, and novel protease synthesis, as well as age, weight, general health, gender, diet, administration time, drug interactions and the severity of symptoms Corrections may be necessary due to severity and can be ascertained by routine experimentation by one skilled in the art.

  The concentration of the therapeutically active Fc variant of the present invention in the formulation can vary from about 0.1 to 100% by weight. In a preferred embodiment, the concentration of the Fc variant is in the range of 0.003 to 1.0 molar. In order to treat a patient, a therapeutically effective amount of an Fc variant of the present invention may be administered. “Therapeutically effective amount” as used herein means a dose that produces the effect for which it is administered. The exact dose will depend on the purpose of the treatment, and will be ascertainable by one skilled in the art using known techniques. The dosage can vary from 0.0001 to 100 mg / kg body weight or more, for example, 0.1, 1, 10 or 50 mg / kg body weight, with 1 to 10 mg / kg being preferred.

  In some embodiments, only a single dose of the Fc variant is used. In other embodiments, multiple doses of the Fc variant are administered. The elapsed time between doses is less than 1 hour, about 1 hour, about 1-2 hours, about 2-3 hours, about 3-4 hours, about 6 hours, about 12 hours, about 24 hours, about 48 hours, It may be about 2-4 days, about 4-6 days, about 1 week, about 2 weeks or longer than 2 weeks.

  In other embodiments, the Fc variants of the invention are administered in a regular dosing regimen by continuous infusion or frequent administration without a long rest period. Such regular administration may include regular dosing with no rest period. Typically, such dosing regimens include chronic low doses or continuous infusion over an extended period of time, eg, 1-2 days, 1-2 weeks, 1-2 months or up to 6 months or longer. The use of low doses can minimize side effects and the need for rest periods.

  In certain embodiments, the Fc variants of the present invention and one or more other prophylactic or therapeutic agents are administered to the patient cyclically. Circulatory treatment involves administering a first substance at a certain time, administering a second substance at a second time, optionally administering further substances at further time points, optionally taking a rest period, and then administering this administration Including repeating the sequence one or more times. The number of circulations is typically 2-10 times. Circulating therapy can reduce the development of resistance to one or more substances, can minimize side effects, or improve treatment efficacy.

Combination Therapy and Co-treatment The Fc variants of the present invention may be administered contemporaneously with one or more other therapies or substances. Additional therapies or substances can be used to improve the efficacy or safety of the Fc variant. In addition, additional therapies or substances may be used to treat the same or co-morbidity rather than altering the action of the Fc variant. For example, the Fc variants of the present invention may be administered to a patient concurrently with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The Fc variants of the present invention include cytotoxic substances, chemotherapeutic agents, cytokines, growth inhibitory substances, antihormonal agents, kinase inhibitors, antiangiogenic agents, cardioprotectants, immunostimulatory agents, immune agents Inhibitors, substances that promote blood cell growth, angiogenesis inhibitors, protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors, additional Fc variants, FcγRIIb or other Fc receptor inhibitors, or other therapeutic agents It can be administered in combination with one or more other prophylactic or therapeutic agents, without limitation.

The terms “ in combination with ” and “ administered together ” are not limited to administering the prophylactic or therapeutic agents exactly at the same time. Rather, it may allow the Fc variant of the present invention and other substances to work together, resulting in an increased benefit over treatment with only one of the Fc variants of the present invention or the other substance. It is intended to be administered sequentially at regular time intervals. It is preferred that the Fc variants and other substances act additively, and it is particularly preferred that they act synergistically. Such molecules are suitably present in a combination of amounts effective for the intended purpose. Skilled medical personnel can determine the appropriate dose of each substance, as well as the appropriate time and method of administration, either empirically or considering the pharmacokinetics and mode of action of the substance.

  In certain embodiments, the Fc variants of the invention are administered with one or more additional additional molecules comprising an antibody or Fc. The Fc variants of the present invention may be administered with one or more other antibodies that have the ability to treat the same disease or additional comorbidities; for example, two antigens overexpressed in a given type of cancer Alternatively, two antibodies that recognize two antigens that mediate the pathogenesis of autoimmunity or infectious disease may be administered.

Examples of anti-cancer antibodies that can be administered together include anti-17-IA cell surface antigen antibodies such as Panorex ^™ (edrecolomab); anti-4-1BB antibodies; anti-4Dc antibodies; A33 and CDP-833 Anti-A33 antibodies; anti-α4β1 integrin antibodies such as natalizumab; anti-α4β7 integrin antibodies such as LDP-02; anti-αVβ1 integrin antibodies such as F-200, M-200 and SJ-749; abciximab, CNTO-95, Mab-17E6 and anti αVβ3 integrin antibodies, such as Vitaxin ^(TM); 5G1.1 anti-complement factor 5 (C5) antibodies such as; OvaRex ^(R) anti-CA125 antibodies such as (oregovomab ^{(oregovomab));} Nuvion ^(R) (visilizumab (Visilizumab)) and Rexomab; IDEC-151, MDX-CD4, Anti-CD4 antibodies such as KT4A; anti-CD6 antibodies such as Oncolysin B and Oncolysin CD6; anti-CD7 antibodies such as HB2; anti-CD19 antibodies such as B43, MT-103 and Oncolysin B; 2H7, 2H7.v16, 2H7.v114, 2H7 .v115, Bexxar ^(R) (tositumomab), Rituxan ^(R) (rituximab), Zevalin ^(R) (ibritumomab tiuxetan), and PRO70769 anti-CD20 antibody, such as; LymphoCide ^(TM) (epratuzumab), such as anti-CD22 antibodies; anti-CD23 antibodies such as IDEC-152; basiliximab and Zenapax ^(R) (daclizumab) anti-CD25 antibodies, such as; AC10, MDX-060 and anti-CD30 antibodies such as SGN-30; Mylotarg ^(TM) ( Gemtuzumab ozogamicin), Oncolysin M and Smart M19 Anti-CD33 antibodies such as 5; anti-CD38 antibodies; anti-CD40 antibodies such as SGN-40 and toralizumab; anti-CD40L antibodies such as 5c8, Antova ^™ and IDEC-131; anti-CD44 antibodies such as bivatuzumab (bivatuzumab) ; anti-CD46 antibody; and XR-303; anti-CD55 antibodies such as SC-1;; and huN901-DM1 anti-CD56 antibody of; anti-CD64 antibodies such as MDX-33 Campath ^(R) (alemtuzumab) anti-CD52 antibody, such as Anti-CD66e antibodies; anti-CD74 antibodies such as IMMU-110; anti-CD80 antibodies such as galiximab and IDEC-114; anti-CD89 antibodies such as MDX-214; anti-CD123 antibodies; anti-CD138 such as B-B4-DM1 Antibody; anti-CD146 antibody such as AA-98; anti-C D148 antibodies; CT84.66, labetuzumab (Labetuzumab) and Pentacea anti-CEA antibodies, such as ^(R); anti-CTLA-4 antibodies such as MDX-101; anti-CXCR4 antibody; ABX-EGF, Erbitux ^(R) (cetuximab), antibodies such as IMC-C225 and Merck Mab 425; Crucell of anti-EpCAM, anti-EpCAM antibodies such as ING-1 and IS-IL-2; antiEphrinB2 B2 / EphB4 antibodies; Herceptin ^(R), anti such MDX-210 Her2 antibody; anti-FAP (fibroblast activating protein) antibody such as sibrotuzumab; anti-ferritin antibody such as NXT-211; anti-FGF-1 antibody; anti-FGF-3 antibody; anti-FGF-8 antibody; antibody, anti-fibrin antibodies; anti-G25 such as WX-G250 and Rencarex ^(R) Antibody; EMD-273063 and anti GD2 ganglioside antibodies such as TriGem; BEC2, KW-2871 and anti-GD3 ganglioside antibodies such as Mitsumomabu (mitumomab); anti-gpIIb / IIIa antibodies such as ReoPro; heparinase antibodies to anti; Herceptin ^(R) (trastuzumab), anti-Her2 / ErbB2 antibodies such as MDX-210 and pertuzumab (pertuzumab); Oncolym ^(R), anti-HLA antibodies such as Smart 1D10; anti-ICAM antibodies such as ICM3;; anti-HM1.24 antibody anti-IgA receptor Anti-IGF-1 antibodies such as CP-751871 and EM-164; anti-IGF-1R antibodies such as IMC-A12; anti-IL-6 antibodies such as CNTO-328 and elsilimomab; HuMax ^™ - Anti-IL-15 antibodies such as IL15; anti-KDR anti Anti-Laminin 5 antibody; anti-Lewis Y antigen antibody such as Hu3S193 and IGN-311; anti-MCAM antibody; anti-Muc1 antibody such as BravaRex and TriAb; anti-NCAM antibody such as ERIC-1 and ICRT; anti-PEM such as Theragyn and Therex Anti-PSA antibody; Anti-PSCA antibody such as IG8; Anti-Ptk antibody; Anti-PTN antibody; Anti-RANKL antibody such as AMG-162; Anti-RLIP76 antibody; Anti-SK-1 antigen antibody such as Monopharm C; Anti-STEAP antibody; anti TGF-beta antibodies such as CAT-152;; anti-TAG72 antibodies such as CC49-SCA and MDX-220 CDP571, CDP870, D2E7 , anti such Humira ^(R) (adalimumab) and Remicade ^(R) (infliximab) TNF-α antibody; anti-TRAIL-R1 and RAIL-R2 antibody; include anti VLA-4 antibodies such as and Antegren ^(TM); phosphorus 2 antibody to an anti-VE- cadherin. In addition, anti-idiotypic antibodies may be used, including but not limited to GD3 epitope antibody BEC2 and gp72 epitope antibody 105AD7. In addition, bispecific antibodies may be used, including but not limited to anti-CD3 / CD20 antibody Bi20.

Examples of antibodies that can be co-administered to treat autoimmune or inflammatory diseases, graft rejection, GVHD, etc. include anti-α4β7 integrin antibodies such as LDP-02, anti-beta2 integrin antibodies such as LDP-01, 5G1 Anti-complement (C5) antibodies such as .1; anti-CD2 antibodies such as BTI-322 and MEDI-507; anti-CD3 antibodies such as OKT3 and SMART anti-CD3; anti-CD4 antibodies such as IDEC-151, MDX-CD4 and OKT4A Anti-CD11a antibody, anti-CD14 antibody such as IC14, anti-CD18 antibody, anti-CD23 antibody such as IDEC152, anti-CD25 antibody such as Zenapax, 5c8, anti-CD40L antibody such as Antova and IDEC-131, anti-CD64 such as MDX-33 Antibody, anti-CD80 antibody such as IDEC-114, anti-CD14 such as ABX-CBL 7 antibody, anti-E-selectin antibody such as CDP850, anti-gpIIb / IIIa antibody such as ReoPro / Abcixima, anti-ICAM-3 antibody such as ICM3, anti-ICE antibody such as VX-740, anti-FcR1 antibody such as MDX-33, anti-IgE antibodies such as rhuMab-E25, anti-IL-4 antibodies such as SB-240683, anti-IL-5 antibodies such as SB-240563 and SCH55700, anti-IL-8 antibodies such as ABX-IL8, anti-interferon gamma antibodies and CDP571 , CDP870, D2E7, infliximab, anti-TNFa antibodies such as MAK-195F, and anti-VLA-4 antibodies such as Antegren. Autoimmune or inflammatory disease, graft rejection, in both examples of other Fc- containing molecule that may be administered to treat such GVHD is, p75 TNF receptor / Fc fusion Enbrel ^(R) (etanercept) and Regeneron Including, but not limited to, IL-1 traps.

  Examples of antibodies that can be co-administered to treat infectious diseases include anti-Anthrax antibodies such as ABthrax, anti-CMV antibodies such as CytoGam and sevirumab, anti-cryptospodium antibodies such as CryptoGAM, Sporidin-G, Anti-Helicobacter antibodies such as Pyloran, anti-hepatitis B antibodies such as HepeX-B and Nabi-HB, anti-HIV antibodies such as HRG-214, anti-RSV antibodies such as felvizumab, HNK-20, palivizumab and RespiGam, and Aurexis, Aurograb , Anti-staphylococcal antibodies such as BSYX-A110 and SE-Mab.

  Alternatively, the Fc variants of the present invention may be administered with one or more other molecules that compete for binding to one or more Fc receptors. For example, co-administration of inhibitors of the inhibitory receptor FcγRIIb can result in increased effector function. Similarly, co-administration of an activating receptor, such as an inhibitor of FcγRIIIa, can minimize unwanted effector functions. Fc receptor inhibitors include, but are not limited to, Fc variants engineered to act as competitive FcγR inhibitors, as well as other immunoglobulins, and particularly intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg). In certain embodiments, the inhibitor is administered and allowed to act prior to administering the Fc variant. An alternative way of achieving the effect of continuous dosing would be to provide an immediate release dosage form of the Fc receptor inhibitor followed by a sustained release formulation of the Fc variant of the present invention. Immediate release and controlled release formulations can be administered separately or combined into one unit dosage form. Administration of an FcγRIIb inhibitor may be used to limit unwanted immune responses, such as anti-factor VIII antibody responses following administration of factor VIII to hemophilia patients.

In certain embodiments, the Fc variants of the invention are administered with a chemotherapeutic agent. “ Chemotherapeutic agent ” as used herein means a chemical compound useful in the treatment of cancer. Examples of chemotherapeutic agents include alkylating agents such as thiotepa and cyclosphosphamido (CYTOXAN ^™) ; alkyl sulfonates such as busulfan, improsulfan and piposulfan; Androgens such as dolomostanolone propionate, epithiostanol, mepithiostan, test lactone; anti-adrenals such as aminoglutethimide, mitotane, trilostane; and flutamide, nilutamide, bicalutamide , Antiandrogens such as leuprolide and goserelin; aclacinomycin, actinomycin, authramycin, azaserine, bleomycin, cactinomycin, calicheamicin, calaamicin Carabicin, caminomycin, carzinophilin, chromomycin, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, detorubicin, 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, doxorubicin, epirubicin, esorubicin ( esorubicin), idarubicin, marcellomycin, mitomycin, mycophenolic acid, nogalamycin, olivomycins, peplomycin, potophilomycin, puromycin, quelamycin, rorububicin, Antibiotics such as streptonigrin, streptozocin, tubercidin, ubenimex, zinostatin, zorubicin; tamoxifen, raloxifene Anti-estrogens such as aromatase inhibitory 4 (5) -imidazoles, 4-hydroxy tamoxifen, trioxifene, keoxifene, LY 117018, onapristone, and toremifene; methotrexate and 5 -Antimetabolites such as fluorouracil (5-FU); folic acid analogues such as denopterin, methotrexate, pteropterin, trimethrexate; benzodopa, carbodopa, meturedopa and uredopa Aziridines such as: altretamine, triethylenemelamine, triethylene glycolamide, triethylenethiophosphaoramide And ethyleneimines and methylamelamines including trimethylolomelamine; folic acid replenishers such as frolinic acid; chlorambucil, chlornaphazine, chlorphosphamide Nitrogen mustard such as estramustine, ifosfamide, mechloretamine, mechloretamine oxide hydrochloride, melphalan, novembichin, phenesterine, prednimustine, trofosfamide, uracil mustard; carmustine (Carmustine), chlorozotocin, fotemustine, lomustine, nimustine, ranimustine and other nitrosoureas; cisplatin and Platinum analogues such as ruboplatin; vinblastine; platinum; proteins such as arginine deiminase and asparaginase; purine analogues such as fludarabine, 6-mercaptopurine, thiamiprine, thioguanine; ancitabine, azacitidine, 6-azauridine, carmofur, cytarabine, dideoxyuridine, doxifluridine, enocitabine, full oxy uridine (floxuridine), pyrimidine analogs such as 5-FU; taxanes, e.g. paclitaxel (TAXOL ^{(R), Bristol-Myers Squibb Oncology,} Princeton, NJ) and docetaxel (TAXOTERE ^{(R), Rhne-Poulenc Rorer, Antony} , France); topoisomerase inhibitors RFS 2000; thymidylate synthesis inhibitors (such as Tomudex); further chemotherapeutic agent including aceglatone; Aldo Aldophosphamide glycoside; aminolevulinic acid; amsacrine; bestrabucil; bisantrene; edantraxate; defofamine; demecolcine; diaziquone; Elformithine; elliptinium acetate; etoglucid; gallium nitrate; hydroxyurea; lentinan; lonidamine; mitoguazone; mitoxantrone; mopidamol; ; pentostatin; Fenametto (Phenamet); pirarubicin; podophyllin acid (podophyllinic acid); 2- ethyl-hydrazide; procarbazine; PSK ^(R); Razokisan ( razoxane); sizofuran; spirogermanium; tenuazonic acid; triaziquone; 2,2 ', 2 "-trichlorotriethylamine;urethane;vindesine;dacarbazine;mannomustine;mitoblonitol;Mitolactol;pipobroman;gacytosine; arabinoside ("Ara-C");cyclophosphamide;thiotepa;chlorambucil;gemcitabine;6-thioguanine;mercaptopurine;methotrexate; etoposide (VP-16) Ifosfamide; mitomycin C; mitoxantrone; vincristine; vinorelbine; navelbine; novantrone; teniposide; daunomycin; Phosphorus; Kiseroda (Xeloda); ibandronate; CPT-11; retinoic acid; esperamicins (esperamicins); although capecitabine (capecitabine) is included without limitation. Any of the above pharmaceutically acceptable salts, acids or derivatives may also be used.

Chemotherapeutic agents or other cytotoxic agents can be administered as prodrugs. A “ prodrug ” as used herein is less cytotoxic to tumor cells compared to the parent drug and is enzymatically activated or converted to the more active parent form. Means a precursor or derivative form of a pharmaceutically active substance. For example, Wilman, 1986, Biochemical Society Transactions, 615th Meeting Belfast, 14: 375-382; and Stella et al., Prodrugs: A Chemical Approach to Targeted Drug Delivery, Directed Drug Delivery, Borchardt et al., (Ed.): See 247-267, Humana Press, 1985. Prodrugs that may find use in the present invention include phosphate-containing prodrugs, thiophosphate-containing prodrugs, sulfate-containing prodrugs, peptide-containing prodrugs, D- which can be converted into more active cytotoxic free drugs. Amino acid modified prodrugs, glycosylated prodrugs, beta-lactam containing prodrugs, optionally substituted phenoxyacetamide containing prodrugs or optionally substituted phenylacetamide containing prodrugs, 5-fluorocytosine and other 5-fluorouridine prodrugs are included, but are not limited to these. Examples of cytotoxic drugs that can be derivatized into a prodrug form for use with the Fc variants of the present invention include, but are not limited to, any of the chemotherapeutic agents described above.

  A variety of other therapeutic agents may find use for administration with the Fc variants of the present invention. In certain embodiments, the Fc variant is administered with an anti-angiogenic agent. “Anti-angiogenic agent” as used herein means a compound that inhibits or partially interferes with blood vessel development. The anti-angiogenic factor can be, for example, a small molecule or protein such as an antibody, Fc fusion or cytokine that binds to a growth factor or growth factor receptor involved in promoting angiogenesis. A preferred anti-angiogenic factor in the present invention is an antibody that binds to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Binds to other agents that inhibit VEGF-mediated signaling, such as RNA-based therapeutics that reduce the expression level of VEGF or VEGF-R, VEGF-toxin fusions, Regeneron's VEGF-trap, and VEGF-R Antibodies may also be used. In another embodiment, the antibody or Fc fusion is administered with a therapeutic agent that induces or enhances an adaptive immune response, eg, an antibody that targets CTLA-4. Additional anti-angiogenic agents include angiostatin (plasminogen fragment), antithrombin III, angiozyme, ABT-627, Bay12-9656, benefin, bevacizumab, bisphosphonate, BMS-275291, derived from cartilage Inhibitor (CDI), CAI, CD59 complement fragment, CEP-7055, Col3, combretastatin A-4, endostatin (collagen XVIII fragment), farnesyltransferase inhibitor, fibronectin fragment, gro- Beta, halofuginone, heparinase, heparin hexasaccharide fragment, HMV833, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), IM-862, interferon a Pha, interferon beta, interferon gamma, interferon inducible protein 10 (IP-10), interleukin-12, kringle 5 (plasminogen fragment), marimastat, metalloproteinase inhibitor (eg TIMP), 2 -Methodyestradiol, MMI270 (CGS27023A), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI), platelet factor-4 (PF4), primostat, prolactin 16 kDa fragment, proliferin-related protein ( PRP), PTK787 / ZK222594, retinoids, solimastat, squalamine, SS3304, SU5416, SU6668, SU112 8, tetrahydrocortisol-S, tetrathiomolybdate, thalidomide, thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), TNP-470, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), vasculostatin (vasculostatin), Examples include, but are not limited to, vasostatin (calreticulin fragment), ZS6126, and ZD6474.

In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variant is administered with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. "Tyrosine kinase inhibitor" as used herein means a molecule that inhibits to some extent the tyrosine kinase activity of a tyrosine kinase. Examples of such inhibitors include quinazolines such as PD153035, 4- (3-chloroanilino) quinazoline; pyridopyrimidines; pyrimidopyrimidines; pyrrolopyrimidines such as CGP59326, CGP60261 and CGP62706; pyrazolopyrimidines 4- (phenylamino) -7H-pyrrolo (2,3-d) pyrimidines; curcumin (diferloylmethane, 4,5-bis (4-fluoroanilino) phthalimide); tyrphostins containing a nitrothiophene moiety PD-0183805 (Warner-Lambert); antisense molecules (eg, those that bind to nucleic acid encoding ErbB); quinoxalines (US 5,804,396); tryphostins (US 5,804,396); ZD6474 ( Astra Zeneca); PTK-787 (Novartis / Schering AG); C1-1033 (Pf izer) pan-ErbB inhibitors such as; Affinitac (ISIS 3521; Isis / Lilly); Imatinib mesylate (STI571, Gleevec ^{(TM); Novartis); PKI 166 (} Novartis); GW2016 (Glaxo SmithKline); C1-1033 (Pfizer); EKB-569 (Wyeth); Semaxinib (Sugen); ZD6474 (AstraZeneca); PTK-787 (Novartis / Schering AG); INC-1C11 (Imclone); or any of the following patent publications: Street: US 5,804,396; PCT WO 99/09016 (American Cyanimid); PCT WO 98/43960 (American Cyanamid); PCT WO 97/38983 (Warner-Lambert); PCT WO 99/06378 (Warner-Lambert); PCT WO 99/06396 (Warner-Lambert); PCT WO 96/30347 (Pfizer, Inc); PCT WO 96/33978 (AstraZeneca); PCT WO96 / 3397 (AstraZeneca); PCT WO 96/33980 (AstraZeneca), Gefitinib (IRESSA ^{( Trademark)} , ZD1839, AstraZeneca) and OSI-774 (Tarceva ^™ , OSI Pharmaceuticals / Genentech).

In an alternative embodiment, the Fc variant is administered with one or more immunomodulatory agents. Such substances can increase or decrease the production of one or more cytokines, can up- or down-regulate autoantigen presentation, mask MHC antigens, or one or more types May promote the proliferation, differentiation, migration or activation state of the immune cells. Immunomodulators include non-steroidal agents such as asprin (asprin), ibuprofed, celecoxib, diclofenac, etodolac, fenoprofen, indomethacin, ketorolac, oxaprozin, nabumetone, sulindac, tolmethine, rofecoxib, naproxen, ketoprofen and nabumethone Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); steroids (eg, azulfidineicosanoids such as glucocorticoids, dexamethasone, cortisone, hydroxycortisone, methylprednisolone, prednisone, prednisolone, triamcinolone, prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leukotrienes; And topical sugars such as anthralin, calcipotriene, clobetasol and tazarotene Steroids such); Enbrel ^(R) (etanercept), including Humira ^(R) (adalimumab) and Remicade ^(R) (infliximab), TGFb, IFNa, IFNb, IFNg, IL-2, IL-4, IL Cytokines such as −10; BAFF, B7, CCR2, CCR5, CD2, CD3, CD4, CD6, CD7, CD8, CD11, CD14, CD15, CD17, CD18, CD20, CD23, CD28, CD40, CD40L, CD44, CD45, CD52, CD64, CD80, CD86, CD147, CD152, complement factor (C5, D) CTLA4, eotaxin, Fas, ICAM, ICOS, IFNα, IFNβ, IFNγ, IFNAR, IgE, IL-1, IL-2, IL- 2R, IL-4, IL-5R IL-6, IL-8, IL-9, IL-12, IL-13, IL-13R1, IL-15, IL-18R, IL-23, integrin, LFA-1, LFA-3, MHC, selectin, Cytokines, chemokines or receptor antagonists, including antibodies to TGFβ, TNFα, TNFβ, TNF-R1, T-cell receptors, soluble receptors and receptor-Fc fusions; heterologous antilymphocyte globulin; 2-amino-6 -Other immunomodulatory molecules such as aryl-5-substituted pyrimidine compounds, anti-idiotype antibodies of MHC binding peptides and MHC fragments, azathioprine, brequinar, bromocryptine, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporin A, D-penicillamine , Deoxyspergualin, FK5 6, glutaraldehyde, gold, hydroxychloroquine, leflunomide, Marono nitriloacetate amides (e.g., leflunomide), methotrexate, minocycline, mizoribine, mycophenolate mofetil, including but rapamycin and sulfasalazine, but not limited to.

In another embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention are administered with a cytokine. “ Cytokine ” as used herein means a general term that refers to a protein that is released from a group of cells and acts on another cell as an intercellular mediator. Examples of such cytokines are lymphokines, monokines and traditional polypeptide hormones. Growth hormones such as human growth hormone, N-methionyl human growth hormone and bovine growth hormone; parathyroid hormone; thyroxine; insulin; proinsulin; relaxin; prorelaxin; follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and luteinization Glycoprotein hormones such as hormones (LH); hepatocyte growth factor; fibroblast growth factor; prolactin; placental lactogen; tumor necrosis factor-alpha and -beta; Muller tube inhibitor; mouse gonadotropin-related peptide; inhibin; Vascular endothelial growth factor; integrin; thrombopoietin (TPO); nerve growth factor such as NGF-beta; platelet growth factor; transforming growth factor such as TGF-alpha and TGF-beta (TGF) Insulin-like growth factors-I and -II; erythropoietin (EPO); osteoinductive factor; interferons such as interferon-alpha, beta and gamma; macrophage-CSF (M-CSF); granulocyte-macrophage-CSF ( GM-CSF); and colony stimulating factor (CSF) such as granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF); IL-1, IL-1 alpha, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL -6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-11, IL-12, IL-15 such as IL-15; tumor necrosis factor such as TNF-alpha or TNF-beta And other polypeptide factors including LIF and kit ligand (KL) are included in cytokines. As used herein, the term cytokine includes proteins from natural sources or from recombinant cell culture, and biologically active equivalents of native sequence cytokines.

  In a preferred embodiment, cytokines or other substances that stimulate cells of the immune system are administered with the Fc variants of the present invention. Such a treatment modality can enhance the desired effector function. For example, substances that stimulate NK cells may be administered together, including but not limited to IL-2. Other embodiments include, but are not limited to, formyl peptides such as C5a, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (Beigier-Bompadre et. Al. (2003) Scand. J. Immunol. 57: 221-8). Substances that stimulate macrophages that are not to be administered can be administered together. In addition, a substance that stimulates neutrophils may be administered, including but not limited to G-CSF, GM-CSF, and the like. In addition, substances that promote the migration of such immunostimulatory cytokines can be used. In addition, additional agents, including but not limited to interferon gamma, IL-3 and IL-7, may promote one or more effector functions. In an alternative embodiment, cytokines or other substances that inhibit effector cell function are administered with the Fc variants of the present invention. Such treatment modalities can limit unwanted effector functions.

  In further embodiments, aminoglycoside antibiotics (eg, apramycin, arbekacin, bambermycin, butirosin, dibekacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, neomycin, netilmycin, paromomycin, ribostamycin, sisomycin, spectrinomycin), Aminocyclitols (eg spectinomycin), amphenicol antibiotics (eg azidamfenicol, chloramphenicol, florfrnicol and thiamphemicol) )), Ansamycin antibiotics (eg rifamide and rifampin), carbapenems (eg imipenem, meropenem, panipenem)); cephalosporin (E.g., cefaclor, cefadroxyl, cefamandol, cefatrizine, cefazedone, cefozopran, cefpimizole, cefpiramide, cefpirome, cefprozil, cefuroxime, cefixime, cephaloxin, cefurazine, cefurazine, cefurazine, cefurazine, cefurazine, , Cefminox, cefmetazole and cefotetan); lincosamides (eg clindamycin, lincomycin); macrolides (eg azithromycin, brefeldin A, clarithromycin, erythromycin, roxithromycin, tobramycin), monobactams (eg aztreonam) , Carmonam and tigernonam); mupirocin; oxaceph em) (e.g., flomoxef, latamoxef and moxalactam); penicillins (e.g., amidinocillin, amdinocillin pivoxil), amoxicillin, bacampicillin, bexidyl penicillinic acid, benzylpenicillin (epi) Fenbenicillin, floxacillin, pennamecillin, penethamate hydriodide, penicillin o-benethamine, penicillin O, penicillin V, penicillin V benzoate, penicillin V benzohimine V hydrabamine), penimepicycline and potassium phencihicillin); polypeptides (eg bacitracin, colistin, polymyxin B) Teicoplanin, vancomycin; quinolones (amifloxacin, sinoxacin, ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, enrofloxacin, feroxacin, flumeequine, gatifloxacin, gemifloxacin Syn (gemifloxacin), grepafloxacin, lomefloxacin, moxifloxacin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, oxolinic acid, pefloxacin, pipemidic acid, rosoxacin, rufloxacin ), Sparfloxacin, temafloxacin, tosufloxacin, trovafloxacin); rifampin; streptogramins (eg quinupristin, dalfopristin) Sulfonamides (sulfanilamide, sulfamethoxazole); tetracyclines (chlortetracycline, demeclocycline hydrochloride, demethylchlortetracycline, doxycycline, duramycin, minocycline, neomycin, oxytetracycline, streptomycin, tetracycline, The Fc variant is administered with one or more antibiotics including but not limited to vancomycin.

  Antifungal agents such as amphotericin B, ciclopirox, clotrimazole, econazole, fluconazole, flucytosine, itraconazole, ketoconazole, nikonazole, nystatin, terbinafine, terconazole and thioconazole may also be used.

  Antiviral agents including protease inhibitors, reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and other substances including type I interferons, viral fusion inhibitors and neuramidase inhibitors may also be used. Examples of antiviral agents are acyclovir, adefovir, amantadine, amprenavir, clevadine, enfuvirtide, entecavir, foscarnet, gancyclovir, idoxuridine, indinavir, lopinavir, pleconaril, ribavirin , Rimantadine, ritonavir, saquinavir, trifluridine, vidarabine and zidovudine, but these may be used.

  The Fc mutations of the present invention may be combined with other therapies. For example, in certain embodiments, a patient to be treated with an antibody or Fc fusion of the present invention may also receive radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is commonly used in the art and can be administered according to protocols known to those skilled in the art. Such treatment includes, but is not limited to, cesium, iridium, iodine or cobalt radiation. Radiation therapy may be systemic radiation and may be directed locally to a specific site or tissue in the body or body surface, such as the lung, bladder or prostate. Typically, radiation therapy is given in pulses over a period of about 1 to 2 weeks. However, radiation therapy may be given for a longer period. For example, radiation therapy may be given to patients with head and neck cancer for about 6 to about 7 weeks. In some cases, radiation therapy may be administered as a single dose or multiple, continuous doses. Skilled medical personnel can empirically determine the appropriate dose or doses of radiation therapy useful herein. According to other embodiments of the invention, the Fc variants of the invention and one or more other anti-cancer therapies are used to treat cancer cells ex vivo. It is contemplated that such ex vivo treatment may be useful in bone marrow transplants and particularly autologous bone marrow transplants. For example, treatment of cells or tissue (s) containing cancer cells with an Fc variant and one or more other anti-cancer therapies as described above may result in cancer cells prior to transplantation into the recipient patient. Can be used to deplete or substantially deplete.

Radiation therapy can include treatment with molecules such as isotopically labeled antibodies. Examples of radioimmunotherapy agents include Zevalin ^™ (Y-90 labeled anti-CD20), LymphoCide ^™ (Y-90 labeled anti-CD22) and Bexxar ^™ (I-131 labeled anti-CD20). Is included.

  Of course, it is contemplated that the Fc variants of the present invention may be used in combination with other therapeutic techniques such as surgery or phototherapy.

Trial design and post-approval treatment strategy A pharmacogenomic approach to abd therapy trials is an embodiment of the invention. A number of receptors that can interact with the Fc variants of the present invention are polymorphic in the human population. For a given patient or group of patients, the efficacy of the Fc variants of the present invention can be affected by the presence or absence of a particular polymorphism in the protein. For example, FcγRIII is polymorphic at position 158 and is generally either V (high affinity) or F (low affinity). Patients with V / V homozygous genotype were observed to have a better clinical response to treatment with the anti-CD20 antibody Rituxan® ⁽ rituximab) (Carton et al., 2002, Blood 99: 754-758; Weng et al., 2003, J Clin Oncol 21: 3940-3947; Dall'Ozzo et al., 2004, Cancer Res 64: 4664-9). Additional polymorphisms include, but are not limited to, FcγRIIaR131 or H131, and such polymorphisms are known to increase or decrease Fc binding and subsequent biological activity, depending on the polymorphism. The Fc variants of the invention may preferentially bind to a particular polymorphic form of the receptor, eg, F158FcγRIIIa, or at a particular position in the receptor, eg, the V158 and F158 polymorphisms of FcγRIIIa. Both can bind to all polymorphisms with equal affinity. In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variants of the invention that result in equivalent binding to each polymorphism may be used in the antibody to eliminate differences in potency seen in patients with different polymorphisms. Such characteristics can provide a more consistent treatment response and reduce non-responding patient populations. Variant Fc with identical binding to such receptor polymorphisms may increase biological activity such as ADCC, CDC or circulating half-life through modulation of binding to the relevant Fc receptor, or May have decreased activity. In a preferred embodiment, the Fc variants of the present invention may bind with higher or lower affinity to one of the receptor polymorphisms, highlighting or reversing the differences present in binding. Such properties may allow the creation of therapeutic agents that are specifically tailored for efficacy, particularly in patient groups with such polymorphisms. For example, a group of patients with an FcγRIIb polymorphism that binds Fc with high affinity can receive drugs containing Fc variants with reduced binding to such polymorphic forms of the receptor, and more potent drugs Can be created.

  In a preferred embodiment, patients are screened for one or more polymorphisms in order to predict the efficacy of the Fc variants of the invention. This information can be used, for example, to select patients to be included or excluded from the trial or, after approval, can give physicians and patients guidance on appropriate doses and treatment options. For example, the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab is minimally effective in patients who are homozygous or heterozygous for F158FcγRIIIa (Carton et al., 2002, Blood 99: 754-758; Weng et al., 2003). , J Clin Oncol 21: 3940-3947; Dall'Ozzo et al., 2004, Cancer Res 64: 4664-9). Such patients may show improved therapeutic response to antibodies comprising the Fc variants of the present invention. In certain embodiments, if the patient's genotype indicates that they appear to respond significantly better to the antibodies of the invention compared to one or more currently used antibody therapeutics , Choose to include them in the trial. In other embodiments, such genotype information is used to determine the appropriate dose and treatment regimen. In other embodiments, the patient is selected to be included in the trial or to receive post-approval treatment based on the patient's polymorphic genotype. Here, such therapies contain Fc variants that have been engineered to be particularly effective in such groups, or such treatments contain Fc variants that do not exhibit different activities in different forms of the polymorphism.

  Included in the present invention are likely to exhibit a favorable clinical response to the Fc variants of the present invention or are one or more currently used when treated with the Fc variants of the present invention. It is a diagnostic test that identifies patients who appear to have a significantly better response compared to an antibody therapeutic. Any number of methods known in the art for determining FcγR polymorphisms in humans may be used.

  In a preferred embodiment, patients are screened to predict the efficacy of the Fc polypeptides of the invention. This information can be used, for example, to select patients to be included or excluded from the trial or, after approval, can give physicians and patients guidance on appropriate doses and treatment options. Screening can include measuring the expression level or distribution of the target antigen. For example, the level of Her2 / neu expression is currently used to select which patient responds most favorably to trastuzumab treatment. Screening may also include genotypic polymorphism, eg, polymorphism determination for FcγR or FcαR. For example, patients who are homozygous or heterozygous for the F158 polymorphic form of FcγRIIIa may respond clinically more conveniently to the Fc polypeptides of the invention. Information obtained from patient screening may be used to select patients for inclusion in the trial, to determine appropriate dosages and treatments, or for other therapeutic applications. Included in the present invention are likely to exhibit a favorable clinical response to an Fc variant of the present invention, or one or more currently used when treated with an Fc polypeptide of the present invention. It is a diagnostic test that identifies patients who appear to have a significantly better response compared to existing biotherapeutic agents. Any number of methods known in the art for determining antigen expression levels, antigen distribution and / or genetic polymorphism in humans may be used.

  In addition, the present invention includes prognostic tests performed on clinical samples such as blood and tissue samples. Such tests can assay effector functional activity, including but not limited to killing cancer or other pathogenic cells, regardless of opsonization, ADCC, CDC, ADCP, or mechanism. . In a preferred embodiment, ADCC assays such as those described herein are used to predict the efficacy of a given Fc polypeptide of the invention for a particular patient. Such information can be used to identify patients to include or exclude from the trial or to make decisions regarding appropriate dosages and treatment regimens. Such information can also be used to select drugs containing specific Fc variants that exhibit superior activity in such assays.

EXAMPLES In order to illustrate the invention, the following examples are provided. These examples are not meant to limit the invention to any particular application or theory of operation.

  For all positions discussed in this invention, numbering follows the EU index or EU numbering scheme (Kabat et al., 1991, Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, 5th Ed., United States Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda. ). This refers to EU antibody numbering (Edelman et al., 1969, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 63: 78-85). Those skilled in the antibody arts will understand that these conventions consist of non-sequential numbering in specific regions of an immunoglobulin sequence, allowing a standardized reference to conserved positions within the immunoglobulin family. Thus, any given immunoglobulin position defined by the EU index does not necessarily correspond to its contiguous sequence. FIG. 3 shows the serial and EU index numbering scheme of the antibody alemtuzumab to more clearly illustrate this principle. Polymorphisms have been observed at a number of Fc positions including but not limited to Kabat 270, 272, 312, 315, 356 and 358, with only a slight gap between the presented sequence and the sequence in the scientific literature. It should also be noted that there can be significant differences.

  Fc variants and Fc variant libraries were designed using computational sequence-based methods as described in USSN 10 / 672,280 and USSN 10 / 822,231. The experimental library was designed with successive iterations of computer processing and experimental screening. Subsequent Fc library designs benefit from previous libraries and thus typically consist of combinations of Fc variants that have shown favorable properties in previous screens. FIG. 4 shows the residues in which amino acid modifications were made with the Fc variants of the invention mapped to the human Fc / FcγRIIIb structure. The entire set of Fc variants constructed and tested experimentally is shown in FIG.

Example 1: Molecular Biology and Protein Expression / Purification Most of the experimental methods for Fc variants were carried out with the anticancer antibody alemtuzumab (Campath®, a ^{registered trademark} of Ilex Pharmaceuticals LP). Alemtuzumab binds to a short linear epitope in its target antigen CD52 (Hale et al., 1990, Tissue Antigens 35: 118-127; Hale, 1995, Immunotechnology 1: 175-187). Alemtuzumab is partly due to its ability to recruit its effector cells (Dyer et al., 1989, Blood 73: 1431-1439; Friend et al., 1991, Transplant Proc 23: 2253-2254; Hale et al., 1998, Blood 92: 4581-4590; Glennie et al., 2000, Immunol Today 21: 403-410), and the production and use of that antigen in a binding assay is relatively simple, Selected as a template. To assess the optimized Fc variants of the present invention with respect to other antibodies, anti-Her2 antibody trastuzumab Fc variants that have been selected (Herceptin ^(R), registered trademark of Genentech), an anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (Rituxan ^{(registered ™} , registered trademark of IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation), anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab ( ^{registered trademark of} Erbitux® Imclone), and anti-CD20 antibody PRO70769 (PCT / US2003 / 040426) entitled “Immunoglobulin Variants and Uses Thereof” did. The use of alemtuzumab, trastuzumab, rituximab, cetuximab and PRO70769 for screening purposes is not meant to limit the invention to any particular antibody.

Alemtuzumab (campath-1H, James et al., 1999, J Mol Biol 289: 293-301), trastuzumab (hu4D5-8; Carter et al., 1992, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89: 4285-4289; Gerstner et al ., 2002, J. Mol Biol, 321:.. 851-862), rituximab (C2B8, US 6,399,061) and cetuximab (C225, PCT US96 / 09847) for the light chain of full-length IgG1 _{(V L} -C L ) And heavy chain (V _H -Cγ1-Cγ2-Cγ3) antibody genes were constructed with convenient terminal restriction sites to aid subcloning using inductive PCR. These genes were ligated into the mammalian expression vector pcDNA3.1Zeo (Invitrogen), which contains a full length light chain kappa (Cκ) and a heavy chain IgG1 constant region. This _VH- Cγ1-Cγ2-Cγ3 clone in pcDNA3.1zeo was used as a template for mutagenesis of the Fc region. Mutations were introduced into this clone using PCR-based mutagenesis or quick-change mutagenesis (Stratagene) techniques. The Fc variant was sequenced to confirm sequence fidelity. A plasmid containing the heavy chain gene (V _H -Cγ1-Cγ2-Cγ3) (wild type or mutant) was transfected into 293T cells together with a plasmid containing the light chain gene (V _L -C _L ). The medium was collected 5 days after transfection. Immunoglobulin expression was monitored by screening culture supernatants of the transfectants in Western using peroxidase-conjugated goat-anti-human IgG (Jackson ImmunoResearch, catalog # 109-035-088). FIG. 5 shows the expression of wild type alemtuzumab and variants 1-10 in 293T cells. The antibody was purified from the supernatant using protein A affinity chromatography (Pierce, Catalog # 20334). FIG. 6 shows the protein purification results for WT alemtuzumab. Antibody Fc variants showed similar expression and purification results to WT. In order to determine their solubility and functional properties in the absence of carbohydrates, some Fc variants were deglycosylated. To obtain deglycosylated antibody, purified alemtuzumab antibody was incubated with peptide-N-glycosidase (PNGase F) at 37 ° C. for 24 hours. FIG. 7 presents a SDS PAGE gel confirming the deglycosylation of several Fc variants and WT alemtuzumab.

  In order to confirm the functional fidelity of alemtuzumab produced under these conditions, an antigenic CD52 peptide fused to GST was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) under IPTG induction. Both uninduced and induced samples were run on an SDS PAGE gel and transferred to a PVDF membrane. For Western analysis, alemtuzumab from Sotec (final concentration of 2.5 ng / ul) or 293T cell culture medium transfected (final alemtuzumab concentration of about 0.1-0.2 ng / ul) was used as the primary antibody. Goat-anti-human IgG was used as a secondary antibody. FIG. 8 presents these results. The ability to bind to the target antigen confirms the structural and functional fidelity of the expressed alemtuzumab. Fc variants with the same variable region as WT alemtuzumab are expected to maintain comparable binding affinity to antigen.

  A gene encoding the extracellular region of human V158FcγRIIIa was obtained by PCR from a clone obtained from the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC: 22630). F158FcγRIIIa was constructed by mutagenesis of the V158FcγRIIIa gene. Genes encoding human FcγRI, human FcγRIIa, human FcγRIIb, human FcγRIIc, mouse FcγRIII and the extracellular regions of human FcRnα and β-microglobulin chains were constructed using inductive PCR. FcγR and FcRnα chains were fused at the C-terminus with a 6xHis tag and a GST tag. All genes were subcloned into pcDNA3.1zeo vector. For expression, a vector containing human FcγR was transfected into 293T cells, FcRnα and β-microglobulin chains were cotransfected into 293T cells, and mouse FcγRIII was transfected into NIH3T3 cells. Medium containing the secreted receptor was collected after 3 days and purified using nickel affinity chromatography. Membranes were examined with anti-GST antibody for Western analysis. FIG. 9 presents an SDS PAGE gel showing the results of expression and purification of human V158FcγRIIIa. Purified human C1q protein complex was purchased commercially (Quidel Corp., San Diego).

Example 2 Fc Ligand Binding Assay Binding to human Fc ligands FcγRI, FcγRIIa, FcγRIIb, FcγRIIc, FcγRIIIa, C1q and FcRn was measured for the designed Fc variants. Binding affinity was measured using the AlphaScreen ^™ assay (Amplified Luminescent Proximity Homogeneous Assay (ALPHA), PerkinElmer, Wellesley, Mass.), A bead-based luminescent proximity assay. If the laser excitation of the donor bead excites oxygen and it is close enough to the acceptor bead, it will generate a cascade of chemiluminescent events, ultimately leading to fluorescence emission at 520-620 nm. The WT alemtuzumab antibody was biotinylated by standard methods for attachment to streptavidin donor beads, and GST-tagged FcγR and FcRn were coupled to glutathione chelate acceptor beads. For C1q binding assays, untagged C1q protein was conjugated with Digoxygenin (DIG, Roche) using N-hydrosuccinimide (NHS) chemistry and bound to DIG acceptor beads. For protein A binding assays, protein A acceptor beads were purchased directly from PerkinElmer. The AlphaScreen assay was applied as a competition assay for screening Fc variants. In the absence of competing Fc variants, the WT antibody and FcγR interact and give a signal of 520-620 nm. The addition of an untagged Fc variant competes with the WTFc / FcγR interaction, quantitatively reduces fluorescence and allows the relative binding affinity to be measured. Fc variants were screened for alemtuzumab or trastuzumab and selected Fc variants were also screened for rituximab and cetuximab.

FIG. 10 shows AlphaScreen data for human V158 FcγRIIIa binding by selected Fc variants. Binding data was normalized to the maximum and minimum luminescence signals for each particular curve, given by baseline at low and high antibody concentrations, respectively. Nonlinear regression was used to fit the data to a partial competition model. These fits are represented by curves in the figure. These fits resulted in an inhibitory concentration of 50% (IC50) (ie, the concentration required for 50% inhibition) for each antibody (illustrated by the dashed line in FIG. 10), thus the relative binding affinity of the Fc variants. Can be determined quantitatively. Dividing the IC50 of each mutant by that of WT alemtuzumab gives the fold increase or decrease (Fold WT) relative to WT Herceptin. Here, WT alemtuzumab has an IC50 of (4.63 × ^{10 −9} ) x (2) = 9.2 nM, while S239D has an IC50 of (3.98 × ^{10 −10} ) x (2) = 0.8 nM. Thus, S239D alemtuzumab binds to human V158 FcγRIIIa 9.2 nM / 0.8 nM = 11.64 times more tightly than WT alemtuzumab. FIGS. 11a and 11b provide AlphaScreen data showing additional Fc variants with substitutions at positions 239, 264, 272, 274 and 332 that are candidates for tight binding by FcγRIII and thus improving Fc polypeptide effector function To do.

  Fc variants were screened in parallel for other Fc ligands. As discussed, the inhibitory receptor FcγRIIb plays an important role in effector function. Exemplary data for binding of selected Fc variants of the present invention to human FcγRIIb as measured by AlphaScreen is provided in FIG. FcγRIIa is an activating receptor highly homologous to FcγRIIb. Exemplary data for binding of selected Fc variants to the human FcγRIIa R131 polymorphic form is provided in FIG. Another important Fc ligand is the neonatal Fc receptor FcRn. As discussed, this receptor binds to the Fc region between the Cγ2 and Cγ3 domains; since binding mediates endosomal recycling, the affinity of Fc for FcRn is responsible for the pharmacokinetics of antibodies and Fc fusions. It is a key determinant. Exemplary data showing binding of selected Fc variants to FcRn as measured by AlphaScreen is provided in FIG. The binding site of FcRn on Fc between the Cγ2 and Cγ3 domains overlaps with the binding sites of bacterial proteins A and G. Since protein A is frequently used for antibody purification, selected mutants were tested for binding to this Fc ligand. FIG. 15 provides these AlphaScreen data. Although protein A was not included in parallel screening for all variants, the ability to purify Fc variants using protein A chromatography (see Example 1) The ability to bind A, and also the integrity of the Cγ2-Cγ3 hinge region, is implied by these Fc substitutions.

  Data for binding of Fc variants to FcγRI, FcγRIIa, FcγRIIb, FcγRIIc, FcγRIIIa, C1q and FcRn were analyzed as described above for FIG. As measured by AlphaScreen, the enhancement or reduction factor compared to WT for the binding of each variant to each Fc ligand is provided in FIG. The table shows for each variant the variant number (Variant), the substitution of the variant (Substitution (s)), the context of the antibody (Context), the fold of affinity compared to WT (Fold) and to each Fc ligand. The confidence in fold affinity for binding (Conf) and the ratio of IIIa: IIb specificity (IIIa: IIb) (see below) are presented. Multiple data sets were obtained for a number of variants and all data for a given variant were grouped together. The context of the antibody indicates which antibody was constructed with the particular Fc variant; a = alemtuzumab, t = trastuzumab, r = rituximab, c = cetuximab and p = PRO70769. The data provided was obtained in the context of the first antibody listed, typically alemtuzumab, but in some cases was trastuzumab. An asterisk (*) indicates that the data for a given Fc ligand was obtained in the context of trastuzumab. A fold higher than 1 (Fold) indicates an increased binding affinity compared to the parent antibody for a given Fc ligand, and a fold lower than 1 indicates a decreased binding affinity compared to WTFc. Confidence (Conf) corresponds to a log confidence level, which is obtained from fitting the data to a sigmoidal dose response curve. As is known in the art, a lower Conf value indicates a lower error and higher reliability of the Fold value. The lack of data for a given variant and Fc ligand indicates that a fit to the data did not yield a meaningful value or that the variant was not tested for that Fc ligand.

FIG. 41 shows that a number of Fc variants with enhanced affinity for various Fc ligands and altered specificity were obtained. Some Fc variants of the present invention provide selective enhancement of binding affinity to various Fc ligands, while others provide selective reduction of binding affinity to various Fc ligands. “ Selective enhancement ”, as used herein, is an improvement or more in the binding affinity of an Fc variant to one or more Fc ligands compared to one or more other Fc ligands. It means a great improvement. For example, for a given variant, for example, Fold WT for binding to FcγRIIa may be larger than, for example, Fold WT for binding to FcγRIIb. “ Selective reduction ” as used herein is a reduction or more in the binding affinity of an Fc variant to one or more Fc ligands compared to one or more other Fc ligands. It means a great reduction. For example, for a given variant, Fold WT for binding to FcγRI, for example, may be lower than Fold WT for binding to FcγRIIb, for example. As an example of such selectivity, G236S provides selective enhancement to FcγRIIs (IIa, IIb and IIc) compared to FcγRI and FcγRIIIa and somewhat higher enhancement to FcγRIIa compared to FcγRIIb and FcγRIIc. However, G236A is highly selectively enhanced for FcγRIIa, not only for FcγRI and FcγRIIIa, but also compared to FcγRIIb and FcγRIIc. Selective enhancement and reduction includes, but is not limited to, variants including substitutions at residues L234, L235, G236, S267, H268, R292, E293, Q295, Y300, S324, A327, L328, A330 and T335. Observed for a number of Fc variants. In general, the data provided in FIG. 41 shows that, despite the fact that a number of highly homologous receptors bind to the same FcγR binding site, using very slight mutational differences, Fc We show that it is indeed possible to adjust the region for Fc ligand specificity. The present invention provides a number of Fc variants that can be used to selectively enhance, as well as selectively reduce, the affinity of Fc polypeptides for certain Fc ligands compared to others. These collections of Fc variants not only allow the generation of antibodies and Fc fusions with tailored effector functions for the desired results, but also use them to experimentally study the biology of effector functions. It also provides a unique set of reagents to investigate and characterize.

As discussed, optimal effector function may arise from Fc variants that have greater affinity for activated FcγRs than for inhibitory FcγRIIb. Indeed, a number of Fc variants were obtained that showed enhanced binding to FcγRIIIa differently than FcγRIIb. AlphaScreen ^™ data for a direct comparison of binding to FcγRIIIa and FcγRIIb for two Fc variants, A330L and A330Y, having this specific profile are shown in FIGS. 16a and 16b. This concept can be defined quantitatively by dividing the enhancement or reduction factor of activated FcγRIIIa (FIG. 41, column 12) by the enhancement or reduction factor of inhibitory FcγRIIb (Table 41, column 8). referred to as: "IIb ratio of IIIa": "FcγRIIIa magnification FcγRIIb ratio of magnification" or. This value is provided in column 18 of FIG. 41 (as IIIa: IIb). Combinations of A330L and A330Y with other variants, such as A330L / I332E, A330Y / I332, and S239D / A330L / I332E, provide a very favorable IIIa: IIb ratio. FIG. 41 shows that a number of Fc variants result in positive, favorable FcγRIIIa to FcγRIIb specificity profiles at up to 86: 1 IIIa: IIb ratios.

  Some of the Fc variants of the invention most promising for enhanced effector function have both a substantial increase in affinity for FcγRIIIa and a favorable FcγRIIIa fold: FcγRIIb fold ratio. These include, for example, S239D / I332E (FcγRIIIa magnification = 56-192, FcγRIIIa magnification: FcγRIIb magnification = 3), S239D / A330Y / I332E (FcγRIIIa magnification = 130), S239D / A330L / I332E (FcγRIIIa magnification = 139, FcγRIIIa Magnification: FcγRIIb magnification = 18) and S239D / S298A / I332E (FcγRIIIa magnification = 295, FcγRIIIa magnification: FcγRIIb magnification = 48). Figures 17a-17c show AlphaScreen data monitoring the binding of these and other Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa and human FcγRIIb in the trastuzumab context.

  In addition to alemtuzumab and trastuzumab, selected Fc variants were screened in the context of other antibodies to investigate their breadth of applicability. AlphaScreen data measuring the binding of selected Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa in the context of rituximab and cetuximab are shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, respectively. Together with the data presented previously for alemtuzumab and trastuzumab, these results show consistent enhancement of binding regardless of antibody context, and thus the Fc variants of the present invention are widely applicable to antibodies and Fc fusions.

  As discussed above, an important parameter of Fc-mediated effector function is the affinity of Fc for both the V158 and F158 polymorphisms of FcγRIIIa. AlphaScreen data comparing the binding of selected variants to the two receptor allotypes is shown in FIG. 20a (V158 FcγRIIIa) and FIG. 20b (F158 FcγRIIIa). As can be seen, all variants improve binding to both FcγRIIIa allotypes. These data show that these Fc variants of the present invention with enhanced effector function are widely applicable to all patient groups, and the enhancement to clinical efficacy is relative to the poorly responsive patient group in need of it The potential is the largest.

The FcγR binding affinity of these Fc variants was further investigated using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) (Biacore, Uppsala, Sweden). SPR is a sensitive and extremely quantitative method that allows the measurement of the binding affinity of protein-protein interactions and has been used to effectively measure Fc / FcγR binding (Radaev et al., 2001, J Biol Chem 276: 16478-16483). Thus, SPR provides a complementary binding assay that is superior to the AlphaScreen assay. His-tagged V158 FcγRIIIa was immobilized on an SPR chip and WT and Fc variant alemtuzumab antibodies were run over the chip at a wide range of concentrations. Binding constants were obtained by fitting the data using a standard curve fitting method. Table 3 presents dissociation constants (Kd) for binding of selected Fc variants obtained using SPR to V158 FcγRIIIa and F158 FcγRIIIa and compares them to the IC50 obtained from the AlphaScreen assay . Dividing the Kd and IC50 of each mutant by that of WT alemtuzumab gives the fold improvement over WT (FoldWT).
Table 3

SPR data reinforces the improvement in FcγRIIIa affinity observed in the AlphaScreen assay. Table 3 further shows that V264I / I332E and I332E are superior to S298A and S298A / E333A / K334A; S298A / E333A / K334A has 1.7 times and 4.times. Fc binding to V158 and F158 FcγRIIIa, respectively. While improved by 7-fold, I332E shows a 2.2-fold and 10.1-fold increase in binding, respectively, and V264I / I332E shows a 4.0-fold and 14-fold increase in binding, respectively. It is also worth noting that the affinity of V264I / I332E for F158 FcγRIIIa (52 nM) is better than that for WT V158 allotype (68 nM). This, together with this Fc variant, as well as greater binding improvements, allows the clinical efficacy of the antibody for the poor responder group to achieve what is currently possible for the high responder. The correlation of SPR and AlphaScreen binding measurements is shown in FIGS. 21a-21d. FIGS. 21a and 21b show the Kd-IC50 correlation for binding to V158 FcγRIIIa and F158 FcγRIIIa, respectively, and FIGS. 21c and 21d show the magnification-improvement correlation for binding to V158 FcγRIIIa and F158 FcγRIIIa, respectively. A good fit of these data to a straight line (r ² = 0.9, r ² = 0.84, r ² = 0.98 and r ² = 0.90) supports the accuracy of AlphaScreen measurements, The validity of its use for measuring the relative FcγR binding affinity of Fc variants is demonstrated.

SPR data was also acquired for binding of selected trastuzumab Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa, F158 FcγRIIIa and FcγRIIb. These data are shown in Table 4. The tested Fc variants show substantial enhancement of binding to the activating receptor FcγRIIIa, with over 100-fold tight binding observed for the interaction of S239D / I332E / S298A with F158FcγRIIIa. Furthermore, for this best FcγRIIIa conjugate, a 3-4 F158 FcγRIIIa / FcγRIIb ratio is observed.
Table 4

  As discussed, there is a need for higher effector function, but for some antibody therapeutics, reduced or eliminated effector function may be desirable. Some Fc variants shown in FIG. 41 substantially reduce or eliminate FcγR binding and may therefore find use in antibodies and Fc fusions where effector function is undesirable. AlphaScreen data measuring the binding of several exemplary Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa are shown in FIGS. 22a and 22b. These Fc variants and their combined use eliminate effector function when desired, for example in antibodies and Fc fusions where the mechanism of action involves inhibition or antagonism but does not involve killing cells with the target antigen. To find uses. Based on the data provided in FIG. 41, preferred locations for reducing Fc ligand binding and / or effector function, ie, reducing binding to one or more Fc ligands and / or effector function. Positions that can be modified to reduce 232, 234, 235, 236, 237, 239, 264, 265, 267, 269, 270, 299, 325, 328, 329, and 330 include, but are not limited to, Not.

Example 3 ADCC of Fc variant
To measure the effect on effector function, a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants was performed. ADCC was measured using the DELFIA® EuTDA-based cytotoxicity assay (Perkin Elmer, Mass. ⁾ Using purified human peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) as effector cells. The target cells were loaded with BATDA at 1 × 10 ⁶ cells / ml, washed 4 times, and plated on a 96-well plate at 10,000 cells / well. The target cells were then opsonized using Fc variants or WT antibodies at the final concentrations specified. Human PBMC isolated from the buffy coat was added at the indicated excess magnification of target cells and the plates were incubated at 37 ° C. for 4 hours. The co-cultured cells are centrifuged at 500 × g, the supernatant is transferred to another plate, incubated with Eu solution and relative fluorescence using a Packard Fusion ^™ α-FP HT reader (Packard Biosciences, IL) The unit was measured. Samples were triplicated to obtain error estimates (n = 3, +/− SD). PCR was used to allotype PBMCs for V158 or F158 FcγRIIIa allotypes.

ADCC assays of Fc variants and WT alemtuzumab were performed using DoHH-2 lymphoma target cells. FIG. 23a is a bar graph showing ADCC of these proteins with 10 ng / ml antibody. The results show that alemtuzumab Fc variants I332E, V264I and I332E / V264I have substantially enhanced ADCC compared to WT alemtuzumab, and relative ADCC enhancement was shown in the AlphaScreen assay and SPR. Proportional to improved binding to FcγRIIIa. The dose dependence of ADCC on antibody concentration is shown in FIG. 23b. The binding data was normalized to the minimum and maximum luminescence signals for each particular curve, each produced by baseline at low and high antibody concentrations. Nonlinear regression was used to fit the data to a sigmoidal dose response model. This is represented by the curve in the figure. This fit allows the determination of the 50% effective concentration (EC50) that provides relative ADCC enhancement for each Fc variant (ie, the concentration required for 50% efficacy). The EC50 of these binding data is similar to the IC50 obtained from AlphaScreen competition data, and therefore the derivation of these values is similar to that described in Example 2 and FIG. In FIG. 23b, the log (EC50) obtained from the fit to the data for WT, V264I / I332E and S239D / I332E alemtuzumab is 0.99, 0.60 and 0.49 respectively and therefore their respective EC50 Are 9.9, 4.0 and 3.0. Thus, V264I / I332E and S239E / I332E provide 2.5 and 3.3 fold ADCC enhancement of WT alemtuzumab, respectively, using PBMC expressing heterozygous V158 / F158 FcγRIIIa. These data are summarized in Table 5 below.
Table 5

To determine whether these ADCC enhancements are widely applicable to antibodies, selected Fc variants were evaluated for trastuzumab and rituximab. ADCC assays were performed with Fc variants and WT trastuzumab using two breast cancer target cell lines, BT474 and Sk-Br-3. FIG. 24a shows a bar graph illustrating ADCC with 1 ng / ml antibody. The results show that V264I and V264I / I332E trastuzumab result in substantially enhanced ADCC compared to WT trastuzumab, and the relative ADCC enhancement is their FcγRIIIa as shown in the AlphaScreen assay and SPR. Proportional to improved coupling. Figures 24b and 24c show the dose dependence of ADCC on antibody concentration for selected Fc variants. The relative improvement in EC50 and ADCC obtained from the fit of these data is provided in Table 6 below. For I332E trastuzumab, a significant ADCC improvement is observed when combined with A330L and A330Y. Furthermore, S239D / A330L / I332E resulted in a substantial ADCC enhancement higher than 300-fold for PBMC expressing homozygous F158 / F158 FcγRIIIa compared to WT trastuzumab and S298A / E333A / K334A, Consistent with FcγR binding data observed with AlphaScreen assay and SPR.
Table 6

ADCC assays were performed with V264I / I332E, WT and S298A / D333A / K334A rituximab using WIL2-S lymphoma target cells. FIG. 25a presents a bar graph showing the ADCC of these proteins with 1 ng / ml antibody. The results showed that V264I / I332E rituximab was substantially enhanced compared to WT rituximab and resulted in ADCC superior to S298A / D333A / K334A, which was observed by AlphaScreen assay and SPR Consistent with improved binding of FcγRIIIa. Figures 25b and 25c show the dose dependence of ADCC on antibody concentration for selected Fc variants. The relative improvement in EC50 and ADCC obtained from the fit of these data is provided in Table 7 below. As can be seen, S239D / I332E / A330L rituximab provides EC50 enhancement over WT over WT for PBMC expressing homozygous F158 / F158FcγRIIIa. The difference in ADCC enhancement observed for alemtuzumab, trastuzumab and rituximab is probably due to the use of different PBMCs, different antibodies and different target cell lines.
Table 7

Up to this point, the lower and upper baselines for each Fc polypeptide are typically set to the minimum and maximum fluorescence signals for that particular Fc polypeptide, which is typically the fluorescence signal at the lowest and highest antibody concentrations, respectively. The ADCC data was standardized. Presenting data in this manner allows for a direct visual comparison of the relative EC50s of different antibodies (thus, for this reason), but the effector function of each Fc polypeptide. Important information about the absolute level is lost. Figures 26a and 27b show the absolute minimum lysis of the assay provided by the target cell fluorescence signal in the presence of PBMC alone (no antibody) and the target cell fluorescence in the presence of Triton X1000 for trastuzumab and rituximab, respectively. Presents cell-based ADCC data normalized according to the absolute maximum lysis of the assay provided by the signal. The graph shows that not only the antibodies differ in their EC50, reflecting their relative potency, but also the maximum ADCC levels that can be obtained with a saturating concentration of antibody, reflecting their relative efficacy. The difference is also shown in. So far, these two terms, strength and efficacy, have been used vaguely to describe desired clinical properties. However, in the context of this current experiment, they are shown as specific quantities and are therefore clearly defined here. “ Strength ” as used in the context of this current experiment represents the EC50 of the Fc polypeptide. “ Efficacy ” as used in the context of this current experiment represents the maximum possible effector function of an Fc polypeptide at a saturation level. In addition to the substantial enhancement of strength described so far, FIGS. 26a and 26b show that the Fc variants of the present invention provide greater than 100% potency enhancement over WT trastuzumab and rituximab.

Example 4 Cross-validation of Fc variants Selected Fc variants were confirmed for their FcγR binding and ADCC improvement in the context of two antibodies-alemtuzumab and trastuzumab. As described above, binding to human V158FcγRIIIa was measured using both AlphaScreen and SPR. Exemplary AlphaScreen data for measuring FcγRIIIa binding is provided in FIG. As described above, ADCC was performed using Sk-Br-3 target cells and LDH detection in the context of trastuzumab. Exemplary ADCC data is provided in FIG. Table 8 provides a summary of FcγRIIIa binding affinity fold for WT and ADCC fold for WT as determined by AlphaScreen and SPR in the context of alemtuzumab (alem) and trastuzumab (trast) for a series of Fc variants.
Table 8

Example 5 FIG. ADCC at various target antigen expression levels
A critical parameter governing the clinical efficacy of anti-cancer antibodies is the level of target antigen expression on the tumor cell surface. Thus, a major clinical advantage of Fc variants that enhance ADCC may be that it allows targeting of tumors that express low levels of antigen. To test this hypothesis, WT and Fc variant trastuzumab antibodies were tested for the ability to mediate ADCC against different cell lines expressing varying levels of Her2 / neu target antigen using the DELFIA EuTDA method. did. Expresses low level amplified Her2 / neu receptor, including Sk-Br-3 (1 × 10 ⁶ copies), SkOV3 (˜1 × 10 ⁵ ), OVCAR3 (˜1 × 10 ⁴ ) and MCF-7 (˜3 × 10 ³ copies) Four cell lines were used (Figure 29a). The target cells were loaded with BATDA in batches for 25 minutes, washed several times with medium, and seeded in 96-well plates at 10,000 cells / well. Target cells were opsonized with various antibodies and concentrations for 15 minutes (final concentrations ranged from 100 ng / ml to 0.0316 ng / ml at 1/2 log intervals, including untreated controls). Human PBMC isolated from the buffy coat and allotyped to homozygous F158 / F158 FcγRIIIa are then added to the opsonized cells in a 25-fold excess and co-cultured at 37 ° C. for 4 hours. The plates were then centrifuged, the supernatant removed, treated with Eu3 + solution, and relative fluorescence units (levels of cell lysis) using a Packard Fusion ^™ α-FP HT reader (PerkinElmer, Boston, Mass.). Corresponding to). The experiment was performed in triplicates. FIG. 29b shows ADCC data comparing WT and Fc variant trastuzumab against four different Her2 / neu ⁺ cell lines. The S239D / I332E and S239D / I332E / A330L mutants provide substantial ADCC enhancement over WT trastuzumab at high, moderate, and low target antigen expression levels. This result suggests that the Fc variants of the present invention may expand the therapeutic tools for anti-cancer antibodies.

Example 6 ADCC using NK cells as effector cells
Natural killer (NK) cells are a subpopulation of cells present in PBMC that are thought to play a critical role in ADCC. Selected Fc variants were tested in a cell-based ADCC assay using natural killer (NK) cells as effector cells rather than PBMC. In this assay, release of endogenous lactose dehydrogenase (LDH) but not EuTDA was used to monitor cell lysis. FIG. 30 shows that Fc variants show substantial ADCC enhancement when NK cells are used as effector cells. Furthermore, in conjunction with previous assays, the results show that the Fc variants of the present invention show substantial ADCC enhancement, regardless of effector cell type or detection method used.

Example 7 FCP variant ADCP
Another important FcγR-mediated effector function is ADCP. Not only can phagocytosis of target cancer cells lead to rapid target cell destruction, but enhanced ADCP is a potential mechanism of antigen uptake and processing by antigen-presenting cells. The ability of a polypeptide to elicit an acquired immune response can also be improved. Therefore, the ability of the Fc variants of the present invention to mediate ADCP was examined. Monocytes were isolated from heterozygous V158 / F158 FcγRIIIa PBMC using a Percoll gradient. After 1 week of culture in the presence of 0.1 ng / ml, differentiated macrophages were detached with EDTA / PBS- and labeled with lipophilic fluorophore PKH26 according to the manufacturer's protocol (Sigma, St Louis, Mo). Sk-Br-3 target cells are labeled with PKH67 (Sigma, St Louis, Mo), seeded in 96-well plates at 20,000 cells / well, and treated with the specified final concentration of WT or Fc variant trastuzumab. Macrophages labeled with PKH26 were then added to opsonized and labeled Sk-Br-3 cells at 20,000 cells / well and the cells were co-cultured for 18 hours, after which double labeled flow cells Cells were processed for analysis by counting methods. After 10,000 counts, the percentage of phagocytosis was determined by co-labeling cells with PKH76 and PKH26 against the total number of Sk-Br-3 in the population (phagocytosed + not phagocytosed) It was determined as the number of (macrophages + Sk-Br-3). FIG. 31 shows data comparing the WT and Fc variant trastuzumab at various antibody concentrations. The results indicate that the S239D / I332E / A330L mutant results in significant enhancement of ADCP over WT trastuzumab.

Example 8 FIG. Complement binding and activation by Fc variants Complement protein C1q binds to a site in proximity to the FcγR binding site on Fc, thus maintaining their ability to recruit and activate complement It was wise to determine whether or not. AlphaScreen assay was used to measure the binding of selected Fc variants to complement protein C1q. The assay was performed using biotinylated WT alemtuzumab antibody attached to streptavidin donor beads as described in Example 2 and using C1q directly conjugated to acceptor beads. The binding data for V264I, I332E, S239E and V264I / I332E rituximab shown in FIG. 32a indicate that C1q binding is not impaired. A cell-based CDC assay of selected Fc variants was also performed to determine if the Fc variant maintained its ability to activate complement. Almar Blue was used to monitor lysis by human serum complement (Quidel, San Diego, Calif.) Of WIL2-S lymphoma cells opsonized with Fc variants and WT rituximab. The data in FIG. 32b shows that CDC is not compromised for Fc variants S239E, V264I and V264I / I332E rituximab. In contrast, FIG. 32c shows that the CDC of the Fc variant S239D / I332E / A330L is completely eliminated while the S239D / I332E variant mediates a CDC comparable to WT rituximab. These results indicate that protein manipulation can be used to distinguish between different effector functions. Such control not only allows the generation of Fc polypeptides, including antibodies and Fc fusions, with properties tailored to the desired clinical outcome, but can also be used to experimentally effect the biology of effector function. A unique set of reagents to examine is also provided.

Example 9 Enhancement of B cell depletion in macaque monkeys To assess the ability of Fc variants to enhance effector function in vivo, the cytotoxicity of antibodies in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) was used using B cell depletion. A preclinical study to measure was performed. Three monkeys per sample were injected intravenously with WT or S239D / I332E rituximab antibody. Injections are given once a day from day 1 to day 4 in the appropriate dose range of 40 μg / kg (WT control) or 1, 4, 10 or 40 μg / kg (S239D / I332E and / or WT). It was. The actual concentration was measured experimentally. Monitor B cell and natural killer cell levels from day 5 to day 28, using flow cytometry using B cell markers CD20 + and CD40 + and natural killer cell markers CD3- / CD16 + and CD3- / CD8 + The cell population was counted.

  FIG. 33a shows the percentage of CD20 + B cells remaining in monkeys dosed with antibodies containing WT or S239D / I332E rituximab. Low doses (1.8 and 2.1 ug / kg) of S239D / I332E mutant and WT control show the greatest B cell number difference on day 5. The NK cell population was monitored to assess the effect of enhanced effector function on this cell type; FIG. 33b shows that the increased CD20 + B cell killing of the S239D / I332E mutant does not affect the natural killer cell population. Show. The decrease in B cell levels is also dose dependent as shown in FIG. 33c for day 5.

Example 10 Ability to test Fc variants in mice Fc optimization of non-human FcγRs may be useful for experimental testing of Fc variants in animal models. For example, antibodies and Fc fusions comprising Fc variants optimized for one or more mouse FcγRs when tested in mice (eg, nude mice, SCID mice, xenograft mice and / or transgenic mice) The body can provide valuable information regarding clinical efficacy, mechanism of action, and the like. In order to assess whether the Fc variants of the present invention may be useful in such experiments, the affinity of selected Fc variants for mouse FcγRIII was measured using an AlphaScreen assay. Using biotinylated WT alemtuzumab attached to streptavidin donor beads as described in Example 2 and GST-tagged mouse FcγRIII conjugated to glutathione chelate acceptor beads expressed and purified as described in Example 2, An AlphaScreen assay was performed. These binding data are shown in Figure 34a for the Flt variant in the context of alemtuzumab and in Figures 34b and 34c in the context of trastuzumab. The results show that some Fc variants that enhance binding to human FcγRIIIa also enhance binding to mouse FcγRIII. The enhancement of mouse effector function by Fc variants was examined by performing the above-described cell-based ADCC assay using mouse PBMC instead of human. FIG. 35 shows that the S239D / I332E / A330L trastuzumab mutant provides substantial ADCC enhancement over WT in the presence of mouse immune cells. This result indicates that the Fc variants of the present invention or other Fc variants optimized for non-human FcγRs may find use in experiments using animal models.

Example 11 Validity of Fc variants expressed in CHO cells Although Fc variants of the present invention were expressed in 293T cells for screening purposes, production of antibodies on a large scale is typically achieved in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Performed by expression in the strain. To evaluate the properties of Fc variants expressed in CHO, selected Fc variants and WT alemtuzumab were expressed in CHO cells and purified as described in Example 1. FIG. 36 shows AlphaScreen data comparing the binding of CHO and 293T-expressed Fc variants and WT to alemtuzumab to human V158 FcγRIIIa. The results show that the Fc variants of the present invention show comparable enhancement of FcγR binding when expressed with either 293T or CHO.

Example 12 FIG. Enhancement of Fc variants in the Fucose Minus Strain The combination of the Fc variants of the present invention with other Fc modifications is contemplated with the goal of generating novel Fc polypeptides with optimized properties. Yes. It may be advantageous to combine the Fc variants of the present invention with other Fc modifications, including modifications that alter effector function or interaction with one or more Fc ligands. Such combinations can provide additive, synergistic or novel properties to the Fc polypeptide. For example, there are numerous ways to manipulate various glycoforms of Fc that alter effector function. Engineered glycoforms may be generated by various methods known in the art, and many of these techniques reduce the level of fucosylated and / or bisecting oligosaccharides covalently bound to the Fc region. Based on control. One way of manipulating Fc glycoforms is to express Fc polypeptides in cell lines that produce altered glycoforms, such as Lec-13 CHO cells. To characterize Fc variants combined with engineered glycoforms, WT and V209 (S239D / I332E / A330L) trastuzumab were expressed in Lec-13CHO cells and generated as described above. FIG. 37a shows AlphaScreen binding data comparing the binding of WT and V209 trastuzumab to human V158 FcγRIIIa expressed in 293T, CHO and Lec-13 cells. The results show that there is substantial synergy between the engineered glycoform produced by the cell line and the Fc variants of the present invention. The cell-based ADCC assay shown in FIG. 37b supports this result. Together, these data are combined with other Fc modifications, particularly engineered glycoforms, with Fc variants of the present invention to optimize Fc polypeptides with optimized effector functions, such as antibodies and Fc Indicates that a fusion can be generated.

Example 13 As discussed, one goal of this experiment was to obtain an optimized non-glycosylated Fc variant. Some Fc variants provide significant progress towards this goal. Since it is a glycosylation site, substitution with N297 results in an unglycosylated Fc. All other Fc variants with a substitution at N297 completely remove FcγR binding, whereas N297D / I332E has significant binding affinity to FcγRIIIa as shown in FIG. 41 and illustrated in FIG. Have The exact reason for this result is uncertain because there is no high-resolution structure of this mutant, but the computational screening prediction is likely due to the combination of a new favorable Fc / FcγR interaction and favorable electrostatic properties Suggest that there is. Indeed, other electrostatic substitutions are envisioned for further optimization of non-glycosylated Fc. FIG. 41 shows that other non-glycosylated Fc variants such as N297D / A330Y / I332E and S239D / N297D / I332E bind the affinity for FcγRIIIa 0.4- and 0.8-fold of glycosylated WT alemtuzumab, respectively. It shows that it brings about the enhancement of. Combinations of these variants with other FcγR binding enhancing FcγR bindings are contemplated and bind to one or more FcγRs having approximately the same or better affinity as the glycosylated parent Fc. The goal is to obtain non-glycosylated Fc variants. Preferred Fc variants for enhancing Fc ligand binding and / or effector function of non-glycosylated Fc polypeptides include N297D, N297D / I332E, N297D / I332D, S239D / N297D, S239D / N297D / I332E, N297D / A330Y / I332E and S239D / N297D / A330Y / I332E, but are not limited to these. The present invention, of course, contemplates combinations of these non-glycosylated variants with other Fc variants described herein that enhance Fc ligand binding and / or effector function.

  A further promising set of Fc variants provides enhanced stability and solubility in the absence of carbohydrates. Fc variants that contain substitutions at positions 241, 243, 262, and 264, which do not mediate FγR binding but determine the contact between carbohydrate and Fc, are likely to disrupt FgR binding, since they disrupt the carbohydrate conformation. Remove. However, in the deglycosylated form, the Fc variants F241E / F243R / V262E / V264R, F241E / F243Q / V262T / V264E, F241R / F243Q / V262T / V264R and F241E / F243Y / V262T / V264R are shown in FIG. As shown, binding to FcγRIIIa is stronger than the glycosylated form. This result indicates that these are key positions for optimizing the structure, stability, solubility and function of non-glycosylated Fc. Both of these results can use protein manipulation to restore the favorable function and solubility properties of antibodies and Fc fusions in the absence of carbohydrates, including convenient lysis involving substitution at these and other Fc positions. It suggests that it can pave the way to non-glycosylated antibodies and Fc fusions with properties and sufficient functionality.

Example 14 Overall, preferred variants The data provided in the present invention indicate that Fc variants that provide optimized FcγR binding properties also provide enhanced effector function. 236, 239, 246, 246, 249, 255, 258, 260, 264, 267, 268, 272, 274, 281, 283, 304, 324, 326, 327, 330, 332, 333, 334 and 334. Substitutions at a number of positions, but not limited to these, provide promising candidates for improved effector function and thus improved clinical properties of Fc polypeptides, including antibodies and Fc fusions. The combination of the Fc variants of the present invention has not yet been explored because it typically resulted in an additive or synergistic improvement in binding, and thus an additive or synergistic effector function enhancement. The combination of Fc variants provided in FIG. 41 is also expected to provide favorable results. Preferred Fc variants of the invention for enhancing Fc ligand binding and / or effector function are provided in Table 9.
Table 9

  This list of preferred Fc variants is not intended to limit the invention. Indeed, all combinations of any Fc variants provided in FIG. 41 are embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, combinations of any of the Fc variants of the present invention with other previously discovered or undiscovered Fc variants may also provide advantageous properties, and these combinations are also contemplated as embodiments of the present invention. Finally, it is anticipated from these results that other substitutions at positions mutated in the present invention can also result in favorable binding enhancement and specificity, and thus substitutions at all positions in FIG. 41 are contemplated. Is done.

Example 15. Fc Variant Therapeutic Applications Numerous Fc variants described for the present invention have significant potential for improving the therapeutic efficacy of anti-cancer antibodies. For illustrative purposes, a number of Fc variants of the present invention were incorporated into the sequence of the antibody rituximab. The light and heavy chains of WT rituximab described in US 5,736,137 are provided in FIGS. 40a and 40b. An improved anti-CD20 antibody sequence is provided in FIG. 40c. The improved anti-CD20 antibody sequence comprises at least a non-WT amino acid selected from the group consisting of X ₁ , X ₂ , X ₃ , X ₄ , X ₅ , X ₆ , X ₇ , X ₈ and X ₉ . These improved anti-CD20 antibody sequences may also include substitutions Z ₁ and / or Z ₂ . The use of rituximab here is merely exemplary and is not meant to limit the application of the Fc variant to this antibody or any other specific Fc polypeptide.

Table 10 shows the positions of human Fc, wild type residues and especially variants included in embodiments of the invention. Table 10 is based on IgG1, but the same can be done for any Ig, especially IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
Table 10

All references are hereby incorporated by reference.
While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous modifications can be made without departing from the present invention as set forth in the appended claims. Is done.

FIG. 1 shows the structure and function of the antibody. FIG. 2 shows Fc / FcγRIIIb complex structure 1IIS. FIG. 3 shows an alignment of the amino acid sequences of human IgG immunoglobulins IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4, and FIG. 3a provides the sequence of CH1 (Cγ1) and the hinge domain. FIG. 3 shows an alignment of the amino acid sequences of human IgG immunoglobulins IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4, and FIG. 3b provides the sequence of the CH2 (Cγ2) and CH3 (Cγ3) domains. FIG. 4 shows the residues that made amino acid modifications to the Fc variants of the invention mapped onto the Fc / FcγRIIIb complex structure 1IIS. FIG. 5 shows the expression of alemtuzumab Fc variant and wild type (WT) protein in 293T cells. FIG. 6 shows the purification of alemtuzumab using protein A chromatography. FIG. 7 shows the purification of deglycosylated antibody. FIG. 8 shows that alemtuzumab expressed from 293T cells binds to its antigen. FIG. 9 shows the expression and purification of the extracellular region of human V158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 10 shows binding to human V158 FcγRIIIa by an alemtuzumab Fc variant selected from an experimental library, as measured by the AlphaScreen ^™ assay described in Example 2. FIG. 11a shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human Val158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 11b shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected trastuzumab Fc variants to human Val158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 12 shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human FcγRIIb. FIG. 13 shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human R131 FcγRIIa. FIG. 14 shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human FcRn as described in Example 2. FIG. 15 shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to bacterial protein A as described in Example 2. FIG. 16a shows an AlphaScreen assay comparing the binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 16b shows an AlphaScreen assay comparing the binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human FcγRIIb (FIG. 16b). FIG. 17a shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures binding to human V158FcγRIIIa by selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab. FIG. 17b shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures binding to human V158FcγRIIIa by selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab. FIG. 17c shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures binding to human FcγRIIb by selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab. FIG. 18 shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures binding to human V158 FcγRIIIa by selected Fc variants in the context of rituximab. FIG. 19 shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures binding to human V158 FcγRIIIa by selected Fc variants in the context of cetuximab. FIG. 20a shows an AlphaScreen assay showing the binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to the V158 allotype of human FcγRIIIa. FIG. 20b shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to the F158 allotype of human FcγRIIIa. Figure 21a shows the correlation between SPR Kd and AlphaScreen IC50 from binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to V158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 21b shows the correlation between SPR Kd and AlphaScreen IC50 from binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to F158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 21 c shows the correlation between SPR versus WT improvement factor for WT for binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to V158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 21d shows the correlation between the SPR versus WT improvement factor for WT for the binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to F158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 22a shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 22b shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 23 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of alemtuzumab. FIG. 23a is a bar graph showing raw fluorescence data for the specified alemtuzumab antibody at 10 ng / ml. FIG. 23 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of alemtuzumab. FIG. 23b shows the dose dependence of ADCC versus antibody concentration for the specified alemtuzumab antibody. FIG. 24 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab. FIG. 24a is a bar graph showing raw fluorescence data for the specified trastuzumab antibody at 1 ng / ml. FIG. 24 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab. FIG. 24b shows the dose dependence of ADCC versus antibody concentration for the specified trastuzumab antibody. FIG. 24 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab. FIG. 24c shows the dose dependence of ADCC versus antibody concentration for the specified trastuzumab antibody. FIG. 25 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of rituximab. FIG. 25a is a bar graph showing the raw fluorescence data for the specified ng / ml rituximab antibody. FIG. 25 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of rituximab. FIG. 25b shows the dose dependence of ADCC versus antibody concentration for the specified rituximab antibody. FIG. 25 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of rituximab. FIG. 25c shows the dose dependence of ADCC versus antibody concentration for the rituximab antibody specified. FIG. 26a shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected trastuzumab Fc variants showing enhanced strength and potency. FIG. 26b shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected rituximab Fc variants showing enhanced strength and potency. FIG. 27 shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to human V158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 28 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variant trastuzumab antibodies compared to WT trastuzumab. FIG. 29 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected trastuzumab Fc variants against different cell lines expressing various levels of Her2 / neu target antigen. FIG. 29a provides a Western blot showing Her2 expression levels for each cell line. FIG. 29 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected trastuzumab Fc variants against different cell lines expressing various levels of Her2 / neu target antigen. The bar graph in FIG. 29b provides ADCC data for WT and Fc variants for the cell lines specified. FIG. 30 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab, using natural killer (NK) cells as effector cells and measuring LDH release to monitor cell lysis. . FIG. 31 shows a cell-based ADCP assay of selected mutants. FIG. 32 shows the ability of selected Fc variants to mediate complement binding and activation. FIG. 32a shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures the binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to C1q. FIG. 32 shows the ability of selected Fc variants to mediate complement binding and activation. FIG. 32b shows a cell-based assay that measures the ability of selected rituximab Fc variants to mediate CDC. FIG. 32 shows the ability of selected Fc variants to mediate complement binding and activation. FIG. 32c shows a cell-based assay that measures the ability of selected rituximab Fc variants to mediate CDC. FIG. 33 shows enhanced B cell depletion by Fc variants in macaque monkeys as described in Example 9. FIG. 33a shows the percentage of B cells remaining in the monkey group of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca Fascicularis) during treatment with anti-CD20WT and S239D / I332E rituximab antibody, measured using the markers CD20 + and CD40 +. FIG. 33 shows enhanced B cell depletion by Fc variants in macaque monkeys as described in Example 9. FIG. 33b shows the percentage of natural killer (NK) cells remaining in the monkey group during treatment, measured using the markers CD3- / CD16 + and CD3- / CD8 +. FIG. 33 shows enhanced B cell depletion by Fc variants in macaque monkeys as described in Example 9. FIG. 33c shows the dose response of CD20 + B cell levels to treatment with S239D / I332E rituximab. FIG. 34a shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures binding of selected alemtuzumab Fc variants to mouse FcγRIII as described in Example 10. FIG. 34b shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures binding of selected trastuzumab Fc variants to mouse FcγRIII as described in Example 10. FIG. 34c shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures binding of selected trastuzumab Fc variants to mouse FcγRIII as described in Example 10. FIG. 35 shows a cell-based ADCC assay of selected Fc variants in the context of trastuzumab using mouse PBMC as effector cells. FIG. 36 shows an AlphaScreen assay that measures binding to human V158 FcγRIIIa by selected trastuzumab Fc variants expressed in 293T and CHO cells as described in Example 11. FIG. 37 shows the synergistic effect of Fc variants and engineered glycoforms. FIG. 37a presents an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of V158FcγRIIIa by WT and Fc variants (V209, S239 / I332E / A330L) trastuzumab expressed in 293T, CHO and Lec-13CHO cells. FIG. 37 shows the synergistic effect of Fc variants and engineered glycoforms. FIG. 37b presents a cell-based ADCC assay showing the ability of 239T, CHO and Lec-13CHO expressed WT and V209 trastuzumab to mediate ADCC. FIG. 38 shows an AlphaScreen assay showing binding of an aglycosylated alemtuzumab Fc variant to human V158 FcγRIIIa. FIG. 39 shows an AlphaScreen assay comparing the binding of human V158 FcγRIIIa by selected alemtuzumab Fc variants in the glycosylated (black symbol, solid line) and deglycosylated (white symbol, dashed line) states. FIG. 40 shows a sequence showing an improved anti-CD20 antibody. The sequence of the light chain of rituximab is presented in Figure 40a. FIG. 40 shows a sequence showing an improved anti-CD20 antibody. The heavy chain sequence of rituximab is presented in FIG. 40b. FIG. 40 shows a sequence showing an improved anti-CD20 antibody. FIG. 40c shows the improved anti-CD20 antibody heavy chain sequence. FIG. 41 shows a set of Fc variants that have been constructed and tested experimentally. FIG. 42 shows SEQ ID NO: 5.

Claims (12)

A protein comprising an Fc variant of a human Fc polypeptide (SEQ ID NO: 1), wherein the variant exhibits altered binding to an Fc ligand compared to a human Fc polypeptide, wherein the variant:
Vb (221) -Vb (222) -Vb (223) -Vb (224) -Vb (225) -Fx (226) -Vb (227) -Vb (228) -Fx (229) -Vb (230)- Vb (231) -Vb (232) -Vb (233) -Vb (234) -Vb (235) -Vb (236) -Vb (237) -Vb (238) -Vb (239) -Vb (240)- Vb (241) -Fx (242) -Vb (243) -Vb (244) -Vb (245) -Vb (246) -Vb (247) -Fx (248) -Vb (249) -Fx (250-254) ) -Vb (255) -Fx (256-257) -Vb (258) -Fx (259) -Vb (260) -Fx (261) -Vb (262) -Vb (263) -Vb (264) -Vb (265) -Vb (26 ) -Vb (267) -Vb (268) -Vb (269) -Vb (270) -Vb (271) -Vb (272) -Vb (273) -Vb (274) -Vb (275) -Vb (276) ) -Fx (277) -Vb (278) -Fx (279) -Vb (280) -Vb (281) -Vb (282) -Vb (283) -Vb (284) -Vb (285) -Vb (286) ) -Fx (287) -Vb (288) -Fx (289) -Vb (290) -Vb (291) -Vb (292) -Vb (293) -Vb (294) -Vb (295) -Vb (296) ) -Vb (297) -Vb (298) -Vb (299) -Vb (300) -Vb (301) -Vb (302) -Vb (303) -Vb (304) -Vb (305) -Fx (306) −312) −Vb (313 -Fx (314-316) -Vb (317) -Vb (318) -Fx (319) -Vb (320) -Fx (321) -Vb (322) -Vb (323) -Vb (324) -Vb ( 325) -Vb (326) -Vb (327) -Vb (328) -Vb (329) -Vb (330) -Vb (331) -Vb (332) -Vb (333) -Vb (334) -Vb ( 335) -Vb (336) -Vb (337);
Where Vb (221) is D, K and Y;
Vb (222) is selected from the group consisting of K, E and Y;
Vb (223) is selected from the group consisting of T, E and K;
Vb (224) is selected from the group consisting of H, E and Y;
Vb (225) is selected from the group consisting of T, E, K and W;
Fx (226) is C;
Vb (227) is selected from the group consisting of P, E, G, K, and Y, Vb (228) is selected from the group consisting of P, E, G, K, and Y, and Fx (229) is C. Yes;
Vb (230) is selected from the group consisting of P, A, E, G and Y;
Vb (231) is selected from the group consisting of A, E, G, K, P and Y;
Vb (232) is selected from the group consisting of P, E, G, K and Y;
Vb (233) is selected from the group consisting of A, D, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (234) is selected from the group consisting of L, A, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, and Y. (235) is selected from the group consisting of L, A, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (236) is selected from the group consisting of G, A, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (237) is selected from the group consisting of G, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (238) is selected from the group consisting of P, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (239) is selected from the group consisting of S, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, T, V, W, and Y. ) Is selected from the group consisting of V, A, I, M, T;
Vb (241) is selected from the group consisting of F, D, E, L, R, S, W, Y and Fx (242) is L;
Vb (243) is selected from the group consisting of F, E, H, L, Q, R, W, Y;
Vb (244) is selected from the group consisting of P, H;
Vb (245) is selected from the group consisting of P, A;
Vb (246) is selected from the group consisting of K, D, E, H, Y;
Vb (247) is selected from the group consisting of P, G, V and Fx (248) is K;
Vb (249) is selected from the group consisting of D, H, Q, Y;
Fx (250-254) is the sequence-(TLMSI-S)-
Vb (255) is selected from the group consisting of R, E, Y;
Fx (256-257) is the sequence-(TP)-;
Vb (258) is selected from the group consisting of E, H, S, Y;
Fx (259) is V;
Vb (260) is selected from the group consisting of T, D, E, H, Y;
Fx (261) is C;
Vb (262) is selected from the group consisting of V, A, E, F, I, T;
Vb (263) is selected from the group consisting of V, A, I, M, T;
Vb (264) is selected from the group consisting of V, A, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, W and Y;
Vb (265) is selected from the group consisting of D, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (266) is selected from the group consisting of V, A, I, M, T;
Vb (267) is selected from the group consisting of S, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (268) is selected from the group consisting of H, D, E, F, G, I, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (269) is selected from the group consisting of E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (270) is selected from the group consisting of D, F, G, H, I, L, M, P, Q, R, S, T, W, Y;
Vb (271) is selected from the group consisting of A, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (272) is selected from the group consisting of E, D, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, P, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (273) is selected from the group consisting of V, I;
Vb (274) is selected from the group consisting of K, D, E, F, G, H, L, M, N, P, R, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (275) is selected from the group consisting of F, L, W;
Vb (276) is selected from the group consisting of N, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, M, P, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Fx (277) is W;
Vb (278) is selected from the group consisting of Y, D, E, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W;
Fx (279) is V;
Vb (280) is selected from the group consisting of D, G, K, L, P, W;
Vb (281) is selected from the group consisting of G, D, E, K, N, P, Q, Y;
Vb (282) is selected from the group consisting of V, E, G, K, P, Y;
Vb (283) is selected from the group consisting of E, G, H, K, L, P, R, Y;
Vb (284) is selected from the group consisting of V, D, E, L, N, Q, T, Y;
Vb (285) is selected from the group consisting of H, D, E, K, Q, W, Y;
Vb (286) is selected from the group consisting of N, E, G, P, Y;
Fx (287) is selected from the group consisting of A;
Vb (288) is selected from the group consisting of K, D, E, Y;
Fx (289) is T;
Vb (290) is selected from the group consisting of K, D, H, L, N, W;
Vb (291) is selected from the group consisting of P, D, E, G, H, I, Q, T;
Vb (292) is selected from the group consisting of R, D, E, T, Y;
Vb (293) is selected from the group consisting of E, F, G, H, I, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (294) is selected from the group consisting of E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, P, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (295) is selected from the group consisting of Q, D, E, F, G, H, I, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (296) is selected from the group consisting of Y, A, D, E, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, Q, R, S, T, V;
Vb (297) is selected from the group consisting of N, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (298) is selected from the group consisting of S, D, E, F, H, I, K, M, N, Q, R, T, W, Y;
Vb (299) is selected from the group consisting of T, A, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, V, W, Y;
Vb (300) is selected from the group consisting of Y, A, D, E, G, H, K, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W;
Vb (301) is selected from the group consisting of R, D, E, H, Y;
Vb (302) is selected from the group consisting of V, I;
Vb (303) is selected from the group consisting of V, D, E, Y;
Vb (304) is selected from the group consisting of S, D, H, L, N, T;
Vb (305) is selected from the group consisting of V, E, T, Y;
Fx (306-312) is-(LTV-L-H-QD)-;
Vb (313) is selected from the group consisting of W, F;
Fx (314-316) is-(LNG)-;
Vb (317) is selected from the group consisting of K, E, Q;
Vb (318) is selected from the group consisting of E, H, L, Q, R, Y;
Fx (319) is Y;
Vb (320) is selected from the group consisting of K, D, F, G, H, I, L, N, P, S, T, V, W, Y;
Fx (321) is C;
Vb (322) is selected from the group consisting of K, D, F, G, H, I, P, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (323) is selected from the group consisting of V, I;
Vb (324) is selected from the group consisting of S, D, F, G, H, I, L, M, P, R, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (325) is selected from the group consisting of N, A, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (326) is selected from the group consisting of K, I, L, P, T;
Vb (327) is selected from the group consisting of A, D, E, F, H, I, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (328) is selected from the group consisting of L, A, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (329) is selected from the group consisting of P, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (330) is selected from the group consisting of A, E, F, G, H, I, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (331) is selected from the group consisting of P, D, F, H, I, L, M, Q, R, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (332) is selected from the group consisting of I, A, D, E, F, H, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y;
Vb (333) is selected from the group consisting of E, F, H, I, L, M, N, P, T, Y;
Vb (334) is selected from the group consisting of K, F, I, L, P, T;
Vb (335) is selected from the group consisting of T, D, F, G, H, I, L, M, N, P, R, S, V, W, Y;
Vb (336) is selected from the group consisting of I, E, K, Y;
Vb (337) is selected from the group consisting of S, E, H, N;
And a variant wherein the variant comprises 1 to 4 amino acid substitutions compared to SEQ ID NO: 1.   The substitution is G236S, G236A, S239D, S239E, S239N, S239Q, S239T, K246H, T260H, K246Y, D249Y, R255Y, E258Y, V264I, S267E, H268D, H268E, E272Y, E272L, E272Y, E272L Claims are selected from the group consisting of E283H, S304T, S324G, S324I, K326T, A327D, A330Y, A330L, A330I, I332D, I332E, I332N, I332Q, E333Y, K334T and K334F, and the numbering is according to the EU index, 1. The protein according to 1.   The Fc variants are S239D / I332E, S239D / G236A, S239D / G236S, S239D / V264I, S239D / H268D, S239D / H268E, S239D / S298A, S239D / K326E, S239D / A330L, S239S / D330A I332E / V264I, I332E / H268D, I332E / H268E, I332E / S298A, I332E / K326E, I332E / A330L, I332E / A330Y, I332E / A330I, I332E / G236D, I332E / G236D, I332E / G236D, H268E, I332D / S298A, I332D / K326E, I332D / A330L, 332D / A330Y, I332D / A330I, I332D / G236A, I332D / G236S, S239D / K246H / I332E, S239D / V264I / I332E, S239D / S267E / I332A / S268D / I332S / E I332E, S239D / S324G / I332E, S239D / S324I / I332E, S239D / K326T / I332E, S239D / K326E / I332E, S239D / K326D / I332E, S239D / A332D / S330D / I330D S239D / A330I / I332E, S239D / K334T / I33 E, S239D / K246H / T260H / I332E, S239D / K246H / H268D / I332E, S239D / K246H / H268E / I332E, S239D / H268D / S324G / I326E / S332E / S332E / S332E / S332E S239D / H268E / K326T / I332E, S239D / H268D / A330L / I332E, S239D / H268E / A330L / I332E, S239D / H268D / A330Y / I332E, S239D / H268E / A330Y / I332S / S332E / S332E S298A / H268D / I332E, S239D / S298A / H268E / I 332E, S239D / S298A / S324G / I332E, S239D / S298A / S324I / I332E, S239D / S298A / K326T / I332E, S239D / S298A / K326E / I332E, S239D / S298A / D3S S239D / S298A / A330Y / I332E, S239D / K326T / A330Y / I332E, S239D / K326E / A330Y / I332E, S239D / K326T / A330L / I332E and S239D / K326E / A330L / E332U are numbered from the group, The protein according to claim 2, which is in accordance with an index.   The protein of claim 2, further comprising a substitution selected from the group consisting of S298A, K326E, K326D, K326A, E333A and K334A, wherein the numbering is according to the EU index.   A protein comprising an Fc variant of a human Fc polypeptide (SEQ ID NO: 1), wherein the Fc variant comprises at least one amino acid modification in the Fc region of the parent Fc polypeptide, wherein the variant protein comprises Selectively enhances binding to one or more Fc ligands relative to one or more other Fc ligands, and the Fc variants are 234, 235, 236, 267, 268 , 292, 293, 295, 300, 324, 327, 328, 330 and 335, including substitutions, wherein the numbering is according to the EU index.   6. The protein of claim 5, wherein the Fc variant enhances binding to one or more FcγRII as compared to FcγRIII.   7. The protein of claim 6, wherein the Fc variant comprises the substitution G236S or G236A.   6. The protein of claim 5, wherein the Fc variant enhances binding to FcγRIIa or FcγRIIc as compared to FcγRIIb.   9. The protein of claim 8, wherein the Fc variant comprises the substitution G236S or G236A.   A protein comprising an Fc variant of a parent Fc polypeptide, wherein the Fc variant comprises at least one amino acid modification in the Fc region of the parent Fc polypeptide, and the variant protein comprises one or more variants And the Fc variants are from 232, 234, 235, 236, 237, 239, 264, 265, 267, 269, 270, 299, 325, 328, 329 and 330. A protein comprising a substitution at a position selected from the group consisting of the numbering according to the EU index.   11. A protein according to claim 10, wherein the Fc variant comprises a substitution at position 299 or 328 and the numbering is according to the EU index.   A protein comprising SEQ ID NO: 5, wherein the variant exhibits altered binding to an Fc ligand compared to a human Fc polypeptide.

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